A Book and a Work of Art

Author Jonathan Safran Foer has taken book design to a new level. For his latest work "Tree of Codes," Foer adapted his favorite book by cutting out words and pages to create a new story. Words peek through windows of the cutout pages, making the written work a piece of structural art.




Foer explained what led him to this unique idea in an interview with The New York Times. "I was more interested in subtracting than adding, and also in creating a book with a three-dimensional life. On the brink of the end of paper, I was attracted to the idea of a book that can’t forget it has a body," he said. The author also compared his cutting of the original novel to carving a stone. His favorite book offered endless possibilities for a new story, but he was also dependent on the word choices of another author.

Though "Tree of Codes" adapted another writer's work, it certainly has something new to offer readers everywhere.

Michelangelo Pistoletto

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is currently exhibiting the work of Michaelangelo Pistoletto. Pistoletto gained fame in the 1960s and 1970s for sculptural works (like Venus of the Rags) and screen-prints on mirrors and shined steel. By placing the screen-prints on mirrors or shined steel, the artist allows the viewer and the work's surroundings to become part of the work itself. According to the Guggenheim Collection, Pistoletto's work "intended both to integrate the environment and the viewer into his work and to question the nature of reality and representation."

Here are some examples of the artist's work and how viewers can interact with the pieces:





 

Show and Tell: Infographics

Warning: This information graphic may cause a headache.




There is way too much going on in this graphic. The graphic uses an unnecessary amount of images, presents too much information, and immediately makes the reader want to move on. Even the "How to Read the Data" chart is confusing.

Whereas this Colours in Cultures graphic shows a great deal of information cleanly and simply. The chart requires a second look, yet is easy to understand.

Cool Typography Print Ads

Graphic Design Blog recently shared 22 amazing typography prints ads. The blog says, "Although a picture is worth a thousand words, but the power of words cannot be underestimated." The following ads certainly don't underestimate the power of words and wonderfully illustrate how effective typography can be.

Typography isn't the only thing that makes these ads unique. Each show a clever concept in a simple and visually appealing way. Be sure to check out the other typography print ads that made the cut here. 

Top Words of 2010

The Global Language Monitor announced this week the most used words of 2010. The organization uses a mathematical formula to track the frequency of words, phrases and names used by English speakers.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 words of 2010:

1. Spillcam
2. Vuvuzela
3. The Narrative
4. Refudiate
5. Guido and Guidette
6. Deficit
7. Snowmagedden (and ‘Snowpocalypse’)
8. 3-D
9. Shellacking
10. Simplexity

David Letterman responded to the year's top words with his own list, Top Ten New Words of 2010. Check it out:




To see the top 10 phrases and names of 2010, visit the Global Language Monitor.

Show and Tell: Packaging

Though not exactly a package and not exactly a narrative, Julien Berthier's boat definitely has a story to tell. The sailor describes his one-of-a-kind boat as a "permanent and mobile image of a wrecked ship that has become a functional and safe leisure object."

Made from a boat that was cut in half, Berthier's boat was given a new keel to keep it upright and a motor to make it mobile. See it in action:


Love Love from julien berthier on Vimeo.


For a more traditional example of a package redesign, check out "Nice Package" from October 29.

The Lying Down Game

"Parkour... For those who can't be arsed." That's how Brits Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon describe their creation The Lying Down Game. The rules of The Lying Down Game are easy:

1) The more public the better. 2) The more people involved the better. Please be aware that the palms of your hands must be flat against your side and the tips of your toes pointing at the ground. Just as if you were standing, but vertically challenged. FACE DOWN!




Photographs from The Lying Down Game are definitely amusing to look at for obvious reasons, but as Web Urbanist points out there are less obvious reasons too. The site says, "Seen separately, these photos suggest thousands of weird people all willing to do something a little crazy. But taken together, the photos of people all around the world lying face down in odd locations looks a lot like collective performance art."

Though contributing to a collective art project is intriguing, having fun looks like the main reason to play the game. Either way, my brain is already pondering the best places in the neighborhood to play The Lying Down Game. What about you?

The United Plates

Artist John Holcomb created The United Plates, a series of illustrations depicting each U.S. state as a food. Though certain designs show foods you wouldn't automatically associate with the state (i.e. Florida and Honey Nut Cheerios), each illustration is enjoyable to look at. And some are downright clever, like Georgia:




And for the memories of cold winter nights and hot chocolate, New Hampshire deserves an honorable mention.




Check out your home state and the rest of the United Plates here.

Guilty Pleasure Websites

Lucky for me, no websites are restricted at my office. Or that was the case until recently. 

Thanks to some technical errors with the office's new proxy server, more and more websites are blocked. It's my job to report these blocked websites so the settings can be fixed, which is good news. However, broadcasting my favorite guilty pleasure websites in the process is rather embarrassing. I hesitated to report any of my favorite sites, thinking "I'll be alright, I'm probably better off reading less crap during the day anyway." Wrong. Despite still having The Daily Mail to tide me over, after two days of Facebook without any photos and no Jezebel, I turned myself in. The sites haven't returned yet, but at least they're on their way.

What are some of your favorite guilty pleasure websites?

Show and Tell: Narrative

This article from DCist was originally found as an example of good food writing. The piece paints a picture and puts the readers in the author's shoes, like a good narrative.

I first tried whipped ricotta during a recent business trip to Boston. It rained from the moment I touched down until three days later as I was preparing to leave. Forty mile per hour winds made it unbearable to go out in the evenings. Fortunately, on my last day, I managed to make it to Sportello, a diner-like Italian restaurant with upscale cuisine. Sitting down at the counter, I was provided with slices of moist crumbed bread and a small dish of a white spread, olive oil, and jam.

Biting into the bread with the ricotta spread was the first bit of sunshine I'd had in days.

Don Draper Says What?

After mourning the end of Mad Men for several weeks, the following mash-up video made my day. Watching the character Donald Draper is enjoyable for a variety of reasons, however one reason in particular is the way he speaks. Though the writers of Mad Men are responsible for the fantastic dialogue, actor John Hamm definitely knows how to deliver it. Even when saying only one word.



And just for fun, another great Mad Men mash-up video.