4. Collage.

So, I lied. I tried to come up with my list of ten things that make me happy without listing collage, but look at this stuff. How can it not make you happy? If it doesn't make you happy, you must be a communist or socilist (that's how you spell it, right?).

4. Collage.
If you have yet to check out all the great design over at Society6, do it now! Chris and I are selling some posters over there (well, attempting to anyway) and received an endorsement from some guy named Matthew Billington. So, I clicked to check out his stuff and it was amazing.

How amazing? Well, these collages are all by Matthew Billington! I almost choked when I saw that he was endorsing my design work. Was he just being nice? Eh, it doesn't matter because I was so excited to be introduced to his stuff. I mean, it honestly blows my mind. I love the way he combines all of the elements...the retro imagery, typography, delicate illustration and perfect use of color. Check it out for yourselves. And if you love it as much as I do, his prints all sell for under $50! I know, right? Enjoy...I had a hard time editing down what to show you.

All images courtesy of Matthew Billington.

Ten Things That Make Me Happy:
10. San Francisco History.
9. Japanese Kid Playing the Ukulele.
8. Jonathan Adler Helix Rug.
7. The PS22 Chorus.
6. Typography.
5. Two Words: Congratulations - Admitted.

Obsess Much?

Nautilus Cowboy.

Are you ready to say uncle with my current collage obsession? It's getting to the point where I should start a side blog, "The Wife of an Artist Who Loves Collage." It would probably be quite tedious to type that in all the time though.

I think my obsession stems from the fact that collage is something I think I could be really, really good at... it encompasses everything I love about design that I'm good at, but also allows you to create imaginary, impossible scenes. There's something about flipping through magazine after magazine to accumulate all of the components for your piece and then being able to arrange and rearrange and remove and add. It's like Photoshop...but in real life ;)

I wish I had the time right now to really foster this art form. And perhaps I should just set a meager goal...one new collage a month? That seems doable. But until I'm able to give it the attention it deserves, I'll just search for inspiration online. The work of Able Parris seems like a good place to start. I love how Able creates scenes that I know I would question...do these elements belong together? But somehow he assembles them so that I can't imagine how the final piece would work if one of them was missing.

Sometimes I'm too practical for my own good. Maybe collage will help me find my imagination again.

Old Lady.


The Shapes of Numbers.


Intolerant.


Hands of Creation.


The Future is Bright.
All collages by Able Parris.

Freaking Obsessed.

Le Monde des Livres.

To say I have a preference for all things collage, retro-inspired and absurd with a bit of Dr. Strangelove and astrophysics thrown in (I stole that from Julien Pacaud) would be an understatement. I think infatuation is a much better word. So my design aesthetic is a little predictable if you've been around these parts once of twice, but can you blame me?

Case in point...French illustrator extraordinaire Julien Pacaud. Sorry Chad and Mark, but I just found a new obsession. Is genius too strong of a word? Damn these illustrators leaving me at a loss for words. Here's the first four I could come up with: I want it all.

Good Girl.


Memories of Tomorrow.


Cluedo.


World Construction Kit.
All images from Julien Pacaud found via Design Crisis.