Neil Gower is THE MAN

In this month’s Condé Nast Traveller there is a 6 page fully illustrated Barcelona travel mystery by Neil Gower and Tom Downey. I have seen Neil's work elsewhere but this piece led me to his portfolio site, which is filled with beautiful travel illustrations, maps, custom type, stamps, garden plans and ethnic paintings.



Gower has created hundreds of designs for books and magazines, including 48 of Agatha Christie's mystery novels, jackets for Faber & Faber, illustrations for Time Life, Condé Nast Traveller, House and Garden…the list is frighteningly long.



Neil’s fixation with draftsmanship, decorative illustration and travel began at the ripe age of 10 and led him to further his studies at Brighton. His work can be found in major publications across the world.

Pug fight!!!

Watch as The Boo taunts Pixel with her submissive fake-out:



Back leg to the face! This bitch can fight from the ground! Ouch!



Upside-down donkey kick to the face! She's brutal! That's my girl!



Ninja roll to standing fight position. You know you're all jealous of her skills.



Wondering where the graphic design portion of the blog is hiding? Trust me when I tell you it’s coming soon. I should know because I’ve been steadily cranking it out 18 hours a day since we've been back from LA. Am I whining? OOPS! The new projects are worth the hard work. Look for a special fully illustrated 12-page invitation for OCRF, Donna Karan & InStyle (you may remember the old pitch from last year); a fly new website designed by Faust Haus and Innfusion Studios; CDs for 2 artists and subsequent websites for Strater Records (whose mini site I also designed, if you were wondering), and a variety of other gems.

p.s. Diabolic, the new font is also in production…due out at the end of the summer!!!

Brazil vs. Brasil

Is there really even a comparison?



I've been searching across the land for a coffee that can defeat the mega deliciousness of Gorilla Coffee’s Brazil roast and have yet to find a winner. Here are stats of Gorilla from Brooklyn versus the latest contender, Orpha’s in Princeton, NJ:

Gorilla 16 oz. for $9.50
Flavor :
pros: Smooth complex flavor of chocolate and dark roastiness with exquisite aftertaste.
cons: None to speak of!

Social Awareness :
Fair trade. Read about the co-operatives!

Aesthetic :
The design is as delicious as the coffee. Rockstar designer Rob Reed of 1 Trick Pony (formerly of The Chopping Block) KILLS IT with an excellent example of how to integrate a brand into every detail of a business.

Orphas 12 oz. for $11.00
Flavor :
pros: Smooth even flavor (chocolate) with little aftertaste
cons: Lacks complexity, has only one note : chocolate.

Social Awareness :
70% sustainable, Rainforest Alliance certified, Fair Trade certified, bird friendly!

Aesthetic :
What aesthetic? Oh, you mean the mangled line of type on a path? Hideous font pairing? The rank colored pencil drawing on the label?

WINNER: GORILLA!!!
If you haven't tried their coffees, give ’em a shot and support independant artisan roasters!!!

I already miss the tacos…

After 10 glorious days, we're back on the east coast, full of new ideas and ready to get back to work...



Some highlights: Morningwood at the Roxy, mole poblano in Laguna Beach, tour of the ASIFA Hollywood Animation Archive (thanks Marc, Katie and Stephen), Griffith Park, righteous tapas at Cobras and Matadors on Beverly Blvd, the view from Erin and Rachel's place in the Hollywood Hills, El Compadre's, Roscoe’s with Dana and Lisa, lunch with Eben in Malibu, Big Sur and the PCH, auction at Southern Exposure in San Francisco, the Mission, Delores Park, lunch at Brix, secret Napa Wine Co. tour, Dr Wilkinson’s mud bath, tacos, tacos and more fuckin’ tacos!

Here are a few snaps of my favorite type specimens along the way:
Los Angeles: Sunset Strip, Los Feliz, Burbank and The Strip at night



Pacific Coast Highway: The Palms Mall, Las Posas Plaza, Santa Claus Lane



San Francisco: Dolores Street, Emily, B and Fists of Fury, Bruno's, Sweet yellow Datsun, Cherin's Appliances



A huge thank you to everyone who made our trip LIKE, TOTALLY AWESOME, DUDE!