sort creative

Relocation to Mammoth Lakes!

Katy — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:52:21 +0000

I’m happy to announce Sort Creative’s move to Mammoth Lakes, CA. The town is surrounded by mountains: on the west, Mammoth Mountain looms over the town, while to the south, the Sherwin Range dominates the view. Yosemite National Park and Sequoia National Park are just some of the nearby natural playgrounds. Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort is a huge winter draw to the area, but the locals claim the summers make Mammoth Lakes such an awesome year-round place to live.

We’re very excited to be here!

Official Olympic Report 1972, Munich

Katy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:35:21 +0000

I’m very interested in Otl Aicher’s design work for the 1972 Olympics. In doing some web research, I stumbled across this site that offers a free download of the Official Olympic Report. Page 268, the start of the “Visual Design” section, offers information on and color documentation of the graphics for the games. Enjoy!

A Better World By Design

Katy — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:07:57 +0000

“A Better World by Design brings a global community of innovators to Providence, Rhode Island, to reach across disciplines and unite under a common goal. Presenters share engaging stories, workshops teach creative skills, and discussions reframe perspectives. A Better World by Design is an immersive experience that deepens our understanding of the power of design, technology, and enterprise to reshape our communities and sustain our environment.”

The poster, designed by Winterhouse, uses early illustrations of pollution, lethal afflictions (“Bubonic Plague,” “Diarrhea” and “Parasites”), and even diagnostic images in early medicine (“Eyeball”), to express a perspective on how we actually inhabit the earth, which is itself a reflection of the fragility of our bodies and of the planet we call home.

Having just finished the books “Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge” by Edward O. Wilson and “A Short History of Nearly Everything” by Bill Bryson, I am even more attuned to the complexity and wonder of life on Earth and our knowledge of the universe we inhabit. It’s exciting to see how people merge their passion for design with the desire to sustain our environment.

London 2012: What?

Katy — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:36:22 +0000

The design community, and arguably community at large, is a bit distressed over the £400,000 logo designed by Wolff Olins for the London 2012 Olympics. Unveiled in June of 2007 (yes, I’m a bit behind… better late than never!), the logo has sparked comments such as: “How much? My kid could have done better…” and “I can’t quite get the memories of my first days on my Art & Design foundation course out of my head, all those afternoons sticking randomly cut pieces of coloured paper in my journal with glue and I never made anything this grotesque.”

I personally think it looks a tad Saved By The Bell. I’m more drawn to the geometric beauty of the new City of Melbourne logo (and that one only cost AU$240,000). And as far as Olympic Design Greatness goes, the gold medal is around the neck of Otl Aicher for his work for the 1972 Munich Olympics. The sport icons he created have become… well, iconic. And the rest of his work is just wow. For a complete directory of Munich paraphernalia, check out Otl Aicher and the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Colors: Photo, Old Fan

Katy — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:56:19 +0000

There’s a neat website called the Color Palette Generator that will take a photograph and generate a color palette that matches the image. When I found the image below on Design*Sponge, I was instantly drawn to the soft colors and the nostalgia it evoked.

So as the first of hopefully many explorations into colors, here is the first installment of a photo and its palette. In the future I hope to take this a step further and use the palette to create an illustration.

Missed Connections

Katy — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:59:12 +0000

Sophie Blackall of Brooklyn has found a source of inspiration in the Craigslist “Missed Connections” section, creating beautiful illustrations from the fleeting moments. In her words: “Every day hundreds of strangers reach out to other strangers on the strength of a glance, a smile or a blue hat. Their messages have the lifespan of a butterfly. I’m trying to pin a few of them down.”

Below are a few of my favorites. I love her lettering and use of soft colors. Visit her site, Missed Connections, for more.

League Gothic

Katy — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:17:47 +0000

The League of Movable Type has just released League Gothic, a revival of an old classic, Alternate Gothic No.1. It was originally designed by Morris Fuller Benton for the American Type Founders Company (ATF) in 1903.

Morris Fuller Benton was born on November 30, 1872 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Benton was the son of Linn Boyd Benton, inventor of the pantographic punch-cutting machine and founder of the American Typefounders agglomeration in 1892. In 1896, he graduated from Cornell University with a degree in engineering; thereafter, he became his father’s assistant at ATF. He quickly began designing his first typefaces, and would later go on to become the company’s artistic director.

You can download this little bit of history, free, from The League of Movable Type website. Enjoy!

Beautifully Designed Book Covers

Katy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:24:16 +0000

I’ve picked out a few of my favorites from the list of 45 at Well Medicated. I often wish I had a small, inconspicuous camera (oh how I need an iPhone!) when browsing bookstores, especially when I come across a vintage cover I know I’ll never see again.

I admit I’ve read none of these. To judge a book by its cover though, they all rock, and will be checked out upon my next library visit! Especially “Send Me”; that cover has me so intrigued. What could it be about, an art history lover who had a horrible father growing up in the 70s? A man who ditches his family in pursuit of a mysterious woman he saw at the museum?

We Are The Friction

Katy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:28:47 +0000

I find these illustrations amazing. The first has great use of color and texture, and the second reminds me of a recurring dream I had as a child where I was alone in a sailboat at sea, wondering where my family was. They’re in the book We Are The Friction, “an erratic, eclectic collection of work that takes in space travel, Japanese deities, monster husbandry, and the Marx Brothers.” Check out the link for more.

Projects Up, Life in Methven

Katy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:53:43 +0000

I’ve made a good start on getting some of my recent projects up in the project section. Woo! I have a lot more to add, but now that I’ve got the basic layout done it will go a lot faster.

Now on to something more interesting: the weather. In Methven today it’s been super bipolar, sunny one second then fierce rain and wind the next. Yesterday was quite the same, complete with a 5 minute hail storm! I suppose that’s normal for spring. I keep having to remind myself of the seasons, my northern hemisphere brain is still expecting the leaves to turn and fall to begin.

Time to take a break and do the dishes. Yes, my life is that exciting!