quantum of solace.

first, a definition.

if you didn't know, quantum isn't just exclusive to the leaps made by mr. sam beckett. in fact, it means almost exactly what it sounds like - a quantity. in 007's case, a lot of solace. (or ironically, lack thereof.)

quantum of solace is now the umbrella title for a beautifully designed hardback anthology of several short-story versions of the infamous womanizer and international spy. behold:







"Angus Hyland and his assistant Fabian Herrmann have designed the hardback edition of Penguin Books’ Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories. The book collects together all of Ian Fleming’s Bond short stories in a single volume for the first time and includes stories that inspired the Bond film classics From a View to a Kill, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, The Living Daylights and of course, Quantum of Solace, the latest in the series." via Pentagram.

faces of evil.

"Using digital technology, graphic designer Hans Weishäupl has carefully reconstructed portraits of 13 dictators over the past 100 years. However, the photo montages, which measure 1.8 m x 2.3 m do not contain a single piece of original picture material, but are made of countless tiny, specially shot portraits of the citizens of the country the dictator ruled over. Christian Lechelt and Hans Weishäupl photographed over 350 people between November 2007 and March 2008, in Hamburg, Munich, Vienna, Dresden, Frankfurt, Berlin, Amsterdam, Moscow, Belgrade, London, Barcelona, Paris and Milan.

The portrait of Hitler is made up of 37 people. His nose belongs to an estate agent from Berlin, his upper lip is from a locksmiths in Dresden, and so on. Each wrinkle, each mole, each eyebrow was reconstructed to resemble the original."

having tried something similar to this in the past, i can tell you this project was not easy. it's been seamlessly produced, though. gorgeous work.

yuki's sentimental journey.

directed by nagi noda.

incredible, incredible, incredible. how did it take me a year to find this beautiful bit of j-pop?



for more nagi noda brilliance, check out these awesomelyweird animal hair "hats". nagi noda is dead, so naturally she will be world renowned shortly.

dan hilier's moleskine.

i've been writing more lately, and it's inspired me to look for a really nice notebook i can carry with me everywhere to jot things down in. fourtypercent is great for blogging, but for things that are a little more personal, i like a pen and paper. plus, having all of that written down no matter where i am is great preparation for the fourtypercent zine i'm working on with some of my lady friends.

i stumbled across this moleskine on skulladay.com. the graphic is absolutely gorgeous, and it's a genuine moleskine. i love the combination of olde style illustration, and sea life. who doesn't love an octopus? the artist is dan hilier. a quick visit to his Web site had me developing a bit of an art-crush. i love artists who combine animal traits with humans - and i've yet to see one who does this so artfully as mr. hilier. absolutely beautiful work. check out his whole web site for more examples of his work.

joseba elorza.

joseba elorza is a freelance illustrator and sound designer from spain. i came across his work on changethethought, and was impressed mostly with the above image. the color is ridiculously perfect, as is the integration of the old photograph. i love how his style throws together traditional photos of the past with apocalyptic imagery - very cold war paranoia meets modern design theory.

but what i most loved were his soundbits. i play around with sound design a bit myself (link goes to my geodesic myspace). this is mostly because i kind of suck at composing songs that are anything but ambient. i admit it. check out love me que here. it's very broadcast-like, which cannot be ignored.

joseba's blog gives some insight into his methods, and who exactly is using his work. if only i spoke spanish...

SmallDeer™'s Nike Campaigns

these ads and images are so striking and beautiful. using vibrant colours, fresh imagery and some of the simplest ideas i've seen executed well in advertising, SmallDeer™ gives runners everywhere something to look forward to. check these web blips out.



(for more clips from the Victory campaign, check out the SmallDeer™ Web site linked to above.)

cartoon skeletons by Hyungkoo Lee.

in an exhibit in switzerland, south korean artist hyungkoo lee has created skeletons of what may lie beneath cartoon character's skin. among the characters were bubs bunny, donald duck, tom & jerry and donald's three nephews, huey, dewey, and louie. they're equally morbid and equally amazing.

///40% loves EQ3.

realizing that once my home was all unpacked and set up i still needed odds and ends, i decided to spend my money at EQ3 immediately after getting paid. (not always the best idea, but very fruitful.) i have a tendency to shop in black and white, so you'll see a lot of that in my decor. but i also am a fan of soft colors in contrast, and occasional splashes of bright colors in unexpected places. i'm also pretty scattered, owing to the fact that it's been quite a while since i've had my own place. (that's another story for another blog or after-school special.)

one thing you won't see is one of those russian doll things... you know, the ones that get smaller and smaller. i thought it would be really cute to have a set of those above the sink in the kitchen. the kitchen is such a family-friendly place, and since there's just two of us in our home, i figured the more the better! i still have to go to target to grab some necessities, and of course decorating is a process so i'll be going at this for several more months i'm sure, as money is available.

for now, here's my EQ3 finds (mostly from the summer sale). [pictured above are the artichoke tea light holders. i got 4 of these. two for the bathroom, and two for elsewhere.]



this tray is pretty awesome. it comes flat, and you fold the pliable wood into this bowl that's actually much larger than it seems in this picture. perfect for holding things like the beautiful red peppers above in a modern kitchen.

this bowl caught my eye from outside of the store. it's vaguely oceanic, in a coral sort of way. it's very deep, and will look beautiful on any surface. and at half-price, who wouldn't splurge?

i love trays. it's true. i'm a big fan of decorative and functional. i haven't quite decided where this will go yet. we'll see. i love the starbursts, though. (and yes, i realize that starbursts are a dying trend... again.)

i got a complete set of these glasses. (except the champagne flutes.) they're deep, and sturdy. but not only that, completely classy. i'm very excited to make these a part of my informal dinner experience. hopefully they'll make up for the fact that i don't have a dining table. think they'll go with floor cushions?