Post Typography’s work needs little explanation, but Soundscreen Design‘s Artist Music Journal could use a little bit of background. The AMJ’s are series of publications printed in LP form created by select visual artist(s) documenting their affinity with music. That said, Post Typography’s AMJ is like viewing their classic show posters with a Director’s Commentary track. This is a must-have for any music and graphic design fan.

SCHOOL zine is edited by Hakui Maki, a lovely lady based in Tokyo. In a sea of male fetishists her voice stands alone. The sheer existence of this publication is beautiful and brave.  Presented on stark white paper and string-bound are a series of articles, and interviews with female creatives active in many different fields. The zine opens up to a nicely printed work of Toshio Saeki. It’s definitely a keeper.

“Natural inspiration.” Botazoo is a quality t-shirt label coming from Seoul, Korea. They have some innovative designs full of fun details. The price tag is a bit high, but the creators really put forth an impressive effort to make it worthwhile. I’m really digging their packaging too. (Unfortunately, the site is only in Korean, but I do believe they accept international orders).

This week we’re going to shift our focus over to a poster. Our very own beloved Patrick Corrigan has whipped up some nocturnal goodness to keep track of your Werewolf activities.

The first poster in a continuing series exploring lunar cycles. This poster highlights lunar cycles for 2010 and maps each cycle accordingly with a calendar and visual representation of that cycle.

I cannot stress the quality of this product. Not only has the design been carefully crafted, but it has been painstakingly printed with archival inks on a heavy cotton rag. Patrick wasn’t messing around on this one, and neither are we as we present it to you all. So, be one of thirty proud people to own this quality piece. TGIF.

Following in the footsteps of YWFT, Reserves sells fancy typefaces and stock imagery. A growing and unique collection indeed. Check it out.

This will come as great news and help to those of your struggling to make beautiful comps. LiveSurface is a stock-image site designed just for designers. Their library contains hundreds of beautiful shots of different products, places, and pieces on which to apply your beautiful design! They obviously know what they are doing because all their files come as layered PSD’s for ease of use. A hump day treat indeed.

As 2009 winds down it’s time to start laying plans for 2010. Keep track of your new resolutions and don’t ever miss a meeting with a Peter Bi’lak special, the Typotheque Journal. These pieces are designed with precision and masterfully crafted. Check out the gallery of previous journals as well. Printout a snazzy calendar for yourself!

We’ve seen this slogan steadily evolve from an iconic phrase to a public image. Ever since it’s popped into the public eye it has filled me with a sense of unease. It has not comforted me.

Before all the accusations of haterade come, let me clarify my queasiness. First, it’s an ominous and uncredited design. This immediately causes alarm in our heavily authored age. Through the poster I hear Big Brother, who I usually ignore like Helen Keller for better or for worse.

Second, it is historically rooted in WWII England. That time period and place was nerve racking in a very real sense. If one bombing put my nation on edge, imagine what the Blitz must’ve felt like.

Third, the orange red used in the backdrop of this poster is NOT calming. Lastly, I find the use of it questionable. On one hand, there is a LOT of things we should be worried about, and I am not talking about the economy. However, the way it has been transformed from citizen-authored public message to yuppie-design-object, is plain upsetting. It is a very well designed poster. The color choice is spot on, considering that it was a “last case scenario” piece. A reddish orange that causes both alarm and calm brings the right mix of awareness. But I ponder its use in these times. Do we really need to wear it, drink from it, carry it and put it up on our walls? I find this as another sad case of people turning a quick buck by capitalizing on people’s fears. I really think this is a current image that needs to be questioned and I would love to hear what our UK readers think.

While surfing the waves the other day I came across the collective studio Soundscreen design. This unit is an amalgamation of a collective creative practices. They release products, publish books, and sell ideas often inviting others to collaborate along the way. Some of those artists and designers include: Hisham Akira Bharoocha, Rob Giampietro, Forest, Post Typography, Seripop, Hand Held Heart, and Jay Ryan. The combination of so many cooperative models is pretty damn original, (music label, creative agency, design studio, design products, etc …) I’m interested to see what comes out of this G-Unit, (g for Greenpoint.)

Soundscreen Design is a product design company inspired by music. We design, produce, and distribute music related products to both wholesalers and retailers. We aim to advance the concept of music merchandise through meticulous design coupled with a fanís appreciation for and obsession with the ìthingî. We make products that can be categorized as apparel, editions, hard goods, and curated series. Soundscreen Design is based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY.

Modern 50 is a part of a small artist collective which strives to create an ever-evolving nonlinear consumer lifestyles gallery. We showcase and discover intrinsically valuable decorative arts and furniture to convey a different impression of 20th century design. Modern 50 is using Indexhibit. Very fresh.