Movie poster redesign

I love limited color palettes. love love love. So I was really excited when I found this set of posters. Olly Moss participated in the Make Something Cool Everyday challenge that is gaining popularity on the internet. These posters are the outcome of that and although I don't like everything in the series, I think these are really really great! 

(I am willing to accept that I like almost everything Indiana Jones related....except for the fourth movie)

I should really look into the create something cool everyday thing. and actually do it. I keep saying "oh, I'll do it next year when I'm out of school" but technically... I should be doing that now regardless. But I'm lazy so I'll say I'll do it next year sans the pressure of school!

Harry Potter Can Read Movies too ( I can read movies part 2)

My friend sam (fellow prattie and 8 year friend)sent me a link to something very similar to my previous post I Can Read Movies. Someone else had the same inspiration of using the Penguin Classics style to make book covers for the Harry Potter books. 

My favorites are: 

The designer is named M.S. Corley (check out the blog for the rest of the pictures). I love some of the other redesigns, like this one for the Spiderwick Chronicles: 

but then again, I'm a sucker for line drawings. For the Harry Potter ones (or even the one above actually), I don't know if this was a color palette choice or again trying the aged effect BUT I feel it works and a bright white would be too stark. They do seem a bit retro but then again that was the inspiration .

Hmm..actually looking through more of the blog, it seems that this is a trend for this designer. After looking at too many it starts to lose the charm that originally drew me to the work but I guess that happens with everything. Anyway, check out the blog! Check out the work! And check sam's blog (yes linking it again), it's full of delicious randomness and she actually walks around the city and takes pictures of lots of interesting stuff. and is obsessed with lolcats (much to my delight haha).

I can read movies

This was a great idea and I wish I had thought of it. Le sigh. Someone that goes by the name of Spacesick has developed a series of book covers. The book covers are retro versions of movies we've all seen and loved. They are simple, beautiful and very clever. Here are some of my favorites: 

I do sort of wish that he didn't add the "aged effect" to them though. That's the only thing I feel brings them down. Otherwise, they are really terrific. 

Where in the world is....Stefan Sagmeister?

Stefan Sagmeister is, in my opinion, a rock star. Living legend. Brilliant thinker. I could go on but enough about that. I'm just one of many many fans and other's, I'm sure, describe him with much more eloquence than my drooling cliches could. So google them. 

Anyway, Stefan is in Bali. For 12 months. Not taking any commissions. Did you know? I did not. Apparently, Sagmeister goes on a sabbatical about once every decade. Well, that is the plan anyway, this is only his second one. The first he took was in 2001 and stayed in New York City (where his studio is), just without doing any commissioned work. Just experimenting. In a way, it's almost the exact same thing we (Pratt ComD majors) do in our senior projects. Think of problems and create creative solutions for them. He just does it much muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch better. 

Sagmeister's work took on fresh life after his last sabbatical so he then decided to take one about every decade until he is 65 (his planned retirement year...somehow I don't believe him. In my mind, he's as monumental as Rand and that man kept creating timeless work until the year he died! So again, retire at 65? Maybe..but he'll be making a comeback at 67!)

His first journey into experimentation was such a short distant away because the designer was scared that his clients would leave and he would have to start from scratch. Because this is so forgettable. Hah. Lucky for him, no one forgot him and he came back to a waiting list of clients.

Now, Sagmeister's clients are warned up to two years before he up and leaves, just to make sure no one bothers him. He's also super dedicated (surprise surprise) to making sure he does go on his sabatical when he plans to. Even if it means passing on really exciting opportunities (the Obama camp approached Sagmeister to design a poster for them. More proof that Obama's campaign people really knew the difference between what is great, relevant and attention grabbing as opposed to the political agenda's of the past. I'm pretty sure that elections from this point on will look VERY different than those of 2004 and previous years. But i digress..).

The last thing Sagmeister did before his departure was complete another maxim. The beautiful "Obsession makes my life worse and my work better": 

Any other project has been pushed back until September 2009, so I guess we shouldn't expect him to be back until then. Although not a maxim, another one of Sagmeister's words to live by should be the fact that he gets up at 5 a.m ..."simply because it's more exciting to start working than to turn around and sleep some more."

Definitely one I need to work on. 

The link above is to Steven Heller's website which has the .pdf article (which appears in the current edition of Print magazine) where i got all this stuff from. Just written much better because it's a convo between Heller and Sagmeister...gimmie a break I'm new at this! (yes i will ride that excuse until at least my 6th month writing in this!)