Urban Outfitters is selling a delightful line of 3D letters made from recycled materials. The designs vary, but they all seem to come from food packaging.

Posted by Megan

Illustrator Felix Sockwell shares a behind-the-scenes look at his creative process designing icons for the iPhone New York Times app.


via Brand New

Posted by Megan

Packaging Designer
Summit Products

Make an impact and join one of fastest growing toy companies in the World. We are looking for a person who is passionate about consumer packaging design with experience in package structure, brand identity, photography, and graphic design. Toy packaging experience a plus.

Posted by Megan

The Totoro Forest Project is an effort by a group of artists to raise money for The Totoro Forest Foundation created by famed animator Hayao Miyazaki to save this huge urban forest just outside of Tokyo. Miyazaki was inspired by the forest to create the wonderful film "My Neighbor Totoro," (which is in my list of Top 10 all-time faves.) Visit the gallery to see a selection of fun, gorgeous, disturbing images inspired by the forest.



via Drawn

Posted by Megan

Designer
Southern Poverty Law Center

SPLC, a non-profit civil rights organization is seeking a talented, font-savvy designer with a positive attitude for our award-winning in-house design department. Our work has been recognized by Communication Arts, HOW, PRINT magazine and the Society of Publication
Designers, just to name a few.

Posted by Megan

A few bits of industry buzz this Friday morning, including:

• Orlando agency FDG {CREATIVE}, has launched a corporate giving program called the "Greater Good Initiative," whereby it gives a portion of its profit from every project to help a Central Florida nonprofit group. Co-founder Stephanie Darden reports that the firm will give either a 5% monetary donation or 20% worth of in-kind services for each paid job the firm completes.

• Canon recently introduced the latest in its EOS Rebel series of digital cameras; this one boasts and Optical Imaged Stabilized lens, a 10 megapixel sensor, a 7-point autofocus function and other features that appeal to the "prosumer" user.

• AIGA San Francisco has awarded its 2008 Enrichment Scholarship to Sumila Mehta, a graduate of the Academy of Art University's school of graphic design.

• In support of the new QuarkXPress 8, the company is hosting the Xperience Design Global Tour, a series of free workshops offering workflow and productivity tips and other how-tos for using the newest version. Upcoming events include July 17 in Boston, July 22 in LA, July 24 in San Francisco, July 29 in Atlanta and July 31 in Dallas.

I was poking around web designer Matthew Inman's portfolio when I came across a disturbing quiz called "What are your chances of surviving a zombie apocalypse?" Despite having read many, many books on the subject of surviving such an event, I only scored 37%. I really need to stock up on canned goods and guns.

Posted by Megan

Check out web designer Cameron Adams's collection of type designers' handwriting.

There's great power in a typeface, but what's always interested me more than the typeface is the designer behind it – why did they create the typeface? Where did their inspiration come from? How did they start?

Lately, I've been asking just one question, though. Something which has always intrigued me: these people that help us communicate ... how do they themselves communicate? If we strip away the monitors, and the printing presses, and the typefaces ... how would William Caslon have written on a post-it note?

via Drawn

Posted by Megan

Senior Packaging Desinger
YARD

YARD is a design-driven creative agency. A leading force behind many fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands. Our current clients include John Varvatos, Converse, LeSportsac, Method, Kenneth Cole, Frye Boots, Hickey Freeman and Shiseido.

The Senior Packaging Designer will report to the Creative Director and work alongside Account and Production teams. He or she will be responsible for brainstorming creative concepts with the project team and spearheading the development and execution of original concepts and designs.

Posted by Megan

Zombie Haiku author Ryan Mecum is so into his new book, that he and his friends made a hilarious short film staring zombies who read their poetry beat style.

Posted by Megan

Senior Product Designer
Frankford Candy & Chocolate Co.

The company is offering an opportunity for a highly creative team player to join a newly created Design and Development team. The candidate will work closely with the Marketing, Senior Management, Product Management Packaging Design teams, to turn inspired product ideas into innovative yet functional consumer products.

Posted by Megan

Show your love of type right on your chest with this Ampersand T-shirt from House Industries.

A wise man once said that you're only as creative as the obscurity of your sources. In general social circles you don't get much more obscure than House Industries, and this obscurity is compounded by a House Industries shirt that doesn't say House Industries anywhere but on the label. So you'll be walking down the street with one of these shirts draped just right to hide your slightly flabenning middle, and this random hot designer chick will come up to you, grab the back of your collar to see who exactly made such a simple but elegant garment. What an icebreaker. We can't guarantee that this is going to happen and we can't assume that you even want it to happen, but it's a nice shirt nonetheless.

Posted by Megan

I just came across Hello! You There! a website created by designer James West as way for people to offer anonymous constructive criticism to friends and neighbors.

I read once about the artist Sophie Calle regularly and anonymously posting items of clothing to an acquaintance as she felt he had the potential to dress more elegantly. There is something about little acts of constructive goodness that appeals to me. I wanted to provide a vehicle to let people do this for free – I like the fact that it can only have positive outcomes. People may be slightly offended at the advice they receive, but this will hopefully be overridden by the fact that somebody has taken the time send it in the first place. To know that somebody cares is important.

Posted by Megan

Designer Douglas Wilson has been documenting hand-painted signs for the last six years but only recently uploaded the images to his Flickr page. Looking around his blog and website, after checking out the images, I feel like I want to be friends with Douglas Wilson. He has great taste in design inspiration and an exuberant obsession with letterpress printing.


via By So and So

Posted by Megan

If you missed out on the HOW Design Conference (or if you missed a couple of key sessions), you can still catch it -- vicariously -- now that we've made session MP3s and handouts available. MP3s of regular sessions are $15; workshops are $19, and the whole shebang (that's 56 sessions) is $199. Handouts, on the other hand, are free. In-house designers especially were loving Andy Epstein's session, Visuals & Verbals; that presentation is among those now available.