I have seen some book carvings before in the past, but these beautiful pieces by 

Guy Laramee are absolutely mind-blowing!

The amount of detail in the carvings alone make these creations feel like miniature fairytale lands that only gain more realism when the paint is added.

Click below to find out more about this amazing artist and see all of the book carvings that he’s done.

(Source: stumbleupon.com)

Back in the beginning of second year, one of our photography assignments was to take a portrait. Seeing as I had zero knowledge of photography at the time, I snapped two photos of my good friend Taylor—20 minutes before class started.

Obviously this isn’t expert photography, but I do feel that if I took them into Photoshop and “grunged” them up a bit that they would be rather effective. This is basically because there is a huge trend (no thanks to Tumblr, I’m sure) of vintage/grunge photography, whereas the subject is generally emotionless and most often a “hipster”.

Don’t know what a hipster is? Wikipedia has an answer to everything!

(Source: snadalin-cc)

I love how I can find amazing things in all fields of design, including interior—or in this case, exterior.

I picked out these two images from a blog post I found because I think they they are able to invoke completely different feelings, but both that are relaxing. And they use similar elements.

How can you feel different things about the same feeling?!

Exactly.

This is something I will never truly have a knack for, but I will always admire the talent and beauty from afar (that is, until I get my house designed).

(Source: stumbleupon.com)

This website I found isn’t exactly design oriented, but I think the premise behind it is very creative and beautiful.

Basically this site is similar to PostSecret, whereas you send in a photo and write a message that is generally anonymous (or with just using first names), and only the people that recognize the photo/person truly get the message. However, so many of these messages are heart-felt that it’s hard not to feel some sort of a connection to each entry.

Here is one of my favourites from the site so far (I’m only on page 3):

Dear Photograph,

(Source: stumbleupon.com)

Since I am one to avoid working with Fimo whenever possible because of my lacking ability to produce anything cool with it, my jaw actually dropped when I saw these mini creations Shay Aaron has made.

Now, personally I would never own something like this, but the fact that her hands can make something so small is worth at least one good look at all her pieces.

Here is a little blurb from the website below: “Shay Aaron is a brilliant artist from Israel who makes the most astonishing miniature food jewelry. These foodstuffs look so beautiful that we would desire to eat them.

Actually, there’s a whole market out there for miniature food. Not actual stuff you can eat, but beautifully hand made designs of steaks, burgers, pies, vegetables, eggs and pretty much anything you can think of.”

(Source: stumbleupon.com)

Zach Johnsen is an illustrator that decided to create a “doodle” piece that just keeps going. And man, does it ever!

I wish I could post the entire picture that I found online on here, but it’s just so big that it’s cut up into over 20 (at least!) different jpegs.

But anyways here are more snippets of the gigantic continuous illustration that I found while “stumbling” online.

“QUICKIES, DOODLES, IDEAS, ROUGH DRAFTS, PRELIMINARIES, PLAY AND OTHER SUCH MARKS ON PAPER AND SURFACE.  THIS IS AN ONGOING AREA WHERE I JUST HAVE FUN WITH RECONTEXTUALIZING ALL MY SKETCH MATERIAL.  **IF YOU HAVE A SLOW INTERNET CONNECTION, PLEASE BE PATIENT FOR THIS PAGE TO LOAD.  TAKE A WALK, GET A CUP OF WATER.. IT’S WORTH IT!”—Zenvironments.com

(Source: stumbleupon.com)

These are some photos that I took for a alcoholic drink recipe book that I titled “Bros and Hoes” because all of the drinks are named after a stereotypical “party-goer” with a bio on each page. I will post updates of the layout and cover once I rework them, but until then I’ll let you enjoy a few of the stories behind each drink:

snadalin-cc:

Here’s a few of the characters from “Bros & Hoes”…

Steve (Any Shot… Chased with Beer):
Generally going unnoticed by the ladies, he still enjoys partying with his friends. And man, does he ever giv’err hard. Not realizing that he only brought a 12 pack and a 26-er of the cheapest shit he could find, he resolves the no-mix dilemma by chasing his booze with his beer. Even though this method is quick and effective, Steve always ends up being that kid who’s barfing by midnight.

Spencer (Prairie Fire Shot):
Never one to shy away from the party scene, Spencer knows how to really kick it up a notch by drinking one of the harshest beverages known to man. Being as he’s the champion hot wing eater at the local pub, he finds no issue with guzzling half a bottle of hot sauce in order to mask the taste of tequila. He thinks that it makes him look more like a badass, but in reality it’ll just give him an ulcer by age 30.

Hailey (Gin and Tonic with Lime Juice):
She’s the girl who brings half of her fridge contents with her to a party. She thinks that having a slightly classier drink will make her look like less of a floozy, all the while still getting a little tipsy. But of course, Hailey always mixes a few too many of these delicious drinks and becomes a drunk mess just like all the other girls.

Dylan (Rye and Ginger):
Invited by his buddies on the hockey team, he usually isn’t into heavy partying, but is always up for a little something to take the edge off. Drinking the rye that his older brother gave him for Christmas, he goes for a mix that both tastes slightly sweet and doesn’t give you gut rot. Normally a little reserved, Dylan will start to let loose after five of these bad boys.

Brock (Jägerbomb):
Not now, Chief! He’s in the fucking zone! And with a name like that, his parents must’ve known that they’ve raised a party animal. Rocking out everyday like it’s his last, he slowly makes that a reality by pumping his body with the most unhealthy beverages on the market. Being the meathead that he is, Brock’s main concern is to stay awake until the sun comes up, or at least until people get bored and leave. Even after 10 of these, he is still standing and hasn’t puked yet. Maybe there is a method to his madness…

(I wrote this shit and took these pictures, so do not steal this information and say it’s your own).

(Source: stumbleupon.com)

Lately there has been a boom of companies that are trying new and innovative ways of advertising their products. One that stand out for me is the “build-it-yourself” KitKat chair. KitKat just cut the pieces into wood, hung it up in a park in New Zealand, and waited for some people to come along and put the simple design together.

Personally, this is super awesome.

People love to have random furniture that has a story behind it, and besides having the company logo on the seat it’s a half-decent looking chair.

I’m interested to see what’s to come from the design world in the future that creeps into marketing and advertising. It’s somewhat frightening to think of how much power we’ll have when we work together…

(Source: stumbleupon.com)

This installation piece has a skull spewing out broken up lids from spray paint cans, and although the skull is alluding towards the morbid, it balances itself with the juxtaposition of the bright rainbow colours of the lids.

I’ve always been very interested in sculptures and installation art because it takes you a step back from the computer. But I really like that you avoid the dreaded feeling of “why am I doing this by hand when I could just print it off?”

There is also something alluring about working on art that is both viewed 360 degrees and that it is based 100% off of your own ideas and inspirations. Perhaps doing pieces like this on the side is what keeps the “droids” of design from going crazy.

(Source: stumbleupon.com)

RBG is a collection of installation pieces that are created by layering different scenes in the different primary colours, then using either red, green, or blue filters on the lights to show each scene on its own.

Confusing?

Maybe to some, but you have to admit that it’s still amazing to see each creation come to life. And honestly I quite like the chaotic charm of the CMY(minus)K combinations in daylight.

But I completely understand that you need to have a deeper understanding of colour to truly appreciate these pieces.

Anyways it you’re interesting in the science behind this light trick, read this little blurb from the website:

“RGB’s technique consists in the overlapping of three different images, each one in a primary color. The resulting images from this three level’s superimposition are unexpected and disorienting. The colors mix up, the lines and shapes entwine becoming oneiric and not completely clear. Through a colored filter (a light or a transparent material) it is possible to see clearly the layers in which the image is composed. The filter’s colors are red, green and blue, each one of them serves to reveal one of the three layers.” – Carnovsky.com

(Source: stumbleupon.com)

After recently creating a beer logo (and hating it) I’ve reverted back to TheDieLine.com for packaging inspiration.

I wanted a vintage feel, and I stumbled across these liquor bottles that have such a throwback vibe to them.

It’s amazing what one colour can do when applied properly. I mean, this isn’t the most innovative and stunning design in the world, but it extremely believable and highly effective.

I would also love to see if the type is slightly embossed, or if it’s just a shadowing effect on the type.

During my few short years in the almost-adult world, I have attended a massive university (York U), a decently sized college (Humber), and high school. Oops, did I say “high school”, I meant Conestoga College.

I definitely have a love-hate relationship with Conestoga. First let me talk about the hate… LOCATION!

You see, growing up on a small hobby farm in Cambridge, I have always dreamed of getting the hell out of that city. Remember that scene in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, where he’s swinging around five thousand feet in the air singing about someday exploring the world?
Yeah, that was me. Except I was swinging from a four foot tree.

So when time came to apply to university like the good child my parents always wanted, I immediately picked Toronto schools. Where else can you go that exciting but close enough for Mom to bring care packages?

York was a lot of fun, but definitely wasn’t the “true” Toronto experience. So when I decided to go to Humber, I knew that living downtown was my only option.
And let me tell you, it was the best decision I ever made!
Was I broke? Really fucking broke! Did I love every second of the craziness? Absolutely! I didn’t even mind hearing alley cats fight outside my shitty basement apartment because I was “living the dream”.

Right?

Well, time passed and the Humber certificate program was coming to a close. I had applied to three Toronto school to continue into graphic design and was dead set on staying in my neighbourhood. But of course my grandparents got wind of this and begged asked if I could go to school close by since they missed me so much. How could I say no when my heart had just turned to mush?

Two years later and I’m in my second year at Conestoga College. Did I make a better decision? Without a doubt.

The reason why I love this school is because the graphic design program is beyond what I ever expected! I have a personal workspace, class sizes are exactly as small as I want them to be, I’m friends with my professors, my classmates are all my best friends, and now Mom can actually take me grocery shopping.

But Toronto will always have a place in my heart. In fact, five Conestoga graduates came to talk to us today in class about landing that “grown-up” job, and they all said that if an oppourtunity comes up to head off to the city, take it and run. 
So when I drive out of Toronto and yell out my window, “I’ll be back, baby!”, I know it’s a promise that I can keep. Hopefully next time minus the cat brawls.

Installation by Henrique Oliveira

I couldn’t help but reblog these pictures when I came across them… LOOK HOW BIG THIS IS!

A part of me misses the world of 3-D everyday. Yes, I always have package design, but to work on an installation piece like this would be absolutely amazing. Also extremely challenging.

Will I ever be ready for a world where I have to spend 16 months straight carving away at wood? Hell. No.
My attention span last about as long as an average contract at a design firm, so I would probably be the guy to walk away from this after only one of the little tunnels were built. 

I obviously still appreciate this though! The organic colours, shapes, and materials remind me of being in the rainforest whereas you can actually crawl through the lifted roots or old trunks. That mixed with old caves. 

(Source: andrewharlow)

Smoking Children by Frieke Janssens.

Stumbling one day I found this, and as a designer who only shoots product photography when absolutely necesssary, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the premise behind this series.

It’s actually disgusting, but it gets you talking, doesn’t it? And even in my case where I’m not particularly a fan of the lighting choices, I feel that the composition is strong enough to carry this series.

I’ve also noticed the trend of artists incorporating children into a typically adult-dominated situations.

Making of video here.
Artist’s website here.

(Source: sharekoube, via snadss)