Leah Faust

8/29/10

2010-08-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Maison Richard 8/14/10

2010-08-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

Giant @ Barracuda

2010-08-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

6/28/10

2010-06-28T20:10:00.001-07:00

Bountiful, Venice

2010-06-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

Coachella 2010

2010-06-20T23:43:00.000-07:00

Becca Loves Stella!!

2009-05-06T16:32:00.001-07:00

Becca Straus has created a new line of jewelry for people and their pets: Becca Loves Stella. The line, named after Becca's Brussels Gryphon, Stella, features hand stamped dog tags with name and phone number along side of silver buddhist bracelets and hand stamped medallions for humans. Those of you who know Leah and Brian's dogs Dude and The Boo will appreciate their modeling skills below; they have been proudly wearing B ♥ S since Decemeber. The most stylish pugs in the neighborhood!

Contact Becca Straus for details: becca@beccastraus.com

Bottega Louie In today's LA Times

2009-04-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

Go Louie! Read the full article here.

P.S. That is our beloved stylist and florist David Diaz holding a tray of Tamara Davis's macarons on both the cover and the inside article!!

Bottega Louie Branding

2009-04-07T19:55:00.001-07:00

I've been designing for the most creative restaurant group in the US for the past year and a half and I am proud to show a few select pieces of the Bottega Louie brand. This project is nothing short of my best work, thanks to the unbelievably cool taste and tact of Keat Bollenbach and Daniel Flores, the inspiring cuisine of Chefs Sam Marvin, Chris Goossen and Tamara Davis, the stunning market directed by Lesley Kadin. The space is grand, the hospitality is warm and you can get your fix of LAMILL coffee for $1.

I will let the press speak for it's self for now, but expect more in depth look at the Louie brand over the next few weeks.

LA Times
Blog Downtown
Eater LA
LA Weekly
Thrillist
NBC
Downtown News

Meet me at 7th and Grand!

Love,
Leah

Wholly Dazed

2008-12-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

Venture down to 7th and Grand Downtown Los Angeles to see Bottega Louie's windows wrapped tight as they complete finishing touches for opening. The funky “Sauce” pattern paper designed by Leah caught a little mention in Eater LA last week.

In other news, Nugget dropped by with a new commission, which she later delivered to Mark Mothersbaugh's studio. Mark gave her a Devo BRUSH IT! Toothbrush. This is what memories are made of, folks.

An update to the bulletin board, miss you Jess!!

Nancy Silverton / Lunchbox Auction Design

2008-12-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

We worked with Nancy Silverton and Sigalle Feig from La Brea Bakery to design this decoupage lunchbox, fashioned from Nancy's vintage bread label collection. Matt Armendariz shot the photos we used to cut and collage onto this fun piece. If you love it, you can bid on it at the Lunchbox Auction, Dec. 11th in NYC, and help out some hungry kids this holiday season.

Nugget Rock

2008-12-09T15:14:00.000-08:00

Those of you who hang around with us in Los Angeles have probably met Nugget a.k.a. Lyndsey Lesh, who has been causing a general ruckus at Faust Haus and 21st Century Filth.

I am pleased to tell you that Nug immortalized our demented family in a portrait titled Rock n Roll Culture:

L to R: The Boo, Niko, Pixel, Leah, Brian, Jess, Ben, Laura, and Nugget herself.

Big ups to Nug!

Becca Straus Lookbook

2008-11-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

Leah shot the captivating April Wilkner (they met at The Aegean Center back in 2001) for Becca Straus this past August in NYC. The result, paired with photos by Laura Narikawa and jewelry stills by Leah Faust capture Becca Straus new work...STUNNING. Becca's website will soon show even more new jewelry, keep an eye out ladies and gentlemen.

You choose. Or do you?

2008-10-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

Photo: Laura Narikawa

21st Century Filth Coke or Pepsi see them for yourself at World of Wonder Gallery Thursday October 23.

Two themes: Food, Rock n’ Roll

2008-10-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dancing like a fool in honor of The Hives and The Eagles of Death Metal

Quality Jewish Holiday time with folks from Bottega Louie where chefs Sam Marvin and Barry Friedman threw down the most delicious brisket I have ever tasted. Below, Barry manhandles the Matzo Ball soup @ Ken's house

Shocker! Ben and Brian at 21st Century Filth continue to blow your minds

Additionally, some brunching and an impromptu performance by new Los Angeles band Singapore in el studio. Singapore is tightening up songs for an upcoming EP! There may be some custom script logos forthcoming...

A glimpse at custom 2008

2008-10-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

Below is a shamefully small glimpse into the custom type work that is going on here at the Faust Haus in 2008. We promise to post additional designs soon.

Bottega Louie Restaurant and Gourmet Market (much, much more on this to come)

Pork Chop Friday Eating Club

Redrawn logo for Lola et Moi by way of Innfusion. (Rejected! but we love it!)

Flash forward: Fiona Clark!

2008-09-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

Bust Yo Ass by Fiona Clark (in progress)

Wee Fi, Faust Haus’ first intern, has become quite the woman-about-town. These days she busts her ass at Basik in NYC working on projects like Sky Lofts and A Day’s Work. We are proud of you, Fi!!!

Read Fiona’s Get Schooled by the Intern archives here.

21st Century Filth

2008-08-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

It’s voting season again! And this time, along with the usual crap, they're trying to sell us some HOPE!!!

Give the finger to the man! Download poster and sticker templates from my favorite degenerates Brian Romero and Ben Tegel at 21st Century Filth, and have a look at the unstoppable force that is the Hollywood Golden Boys™

FNMTV 8/8/08 at 8pm

2008-08-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

To satisfy a life-long dream, I secured tickets to an MTV taping as part of intern Jess Endaya’s official sendoff. We attended the friday night show of FNMTV, a new-ish show hosted by Pete Wentz that brings back some old MTV flava by showing actual videos and inviting indie and established artists to debut videos and perform in front of a live audience.

Brian and Jess pose

Jess was in disbelief when one of her most adored celebs, Mr. Sean P. Diddy Combs arrived to debut a video with his new artist Donnie Klang.

Morningwood (YES!!! I LOVE THESE TWO) were there to introduce the video for their new song, Sugarbaby!

Santogold performed an awesome 2 song set in a spandex unitard. Great live show! Nice robot backup singers!!!

Tune in on friday night at 8pm and look for us in the audience... we’re wearing a lot of purple, to show our Truman Spirit.

Get Schooled By The Intern: Funk’tional Art.

2008-07-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

Applied art refers to the application of design to objects (print or studio) of function and everyday use. Whereas the fine arts serve as a sort of intellectual stimulation to the viewer, applied (or functional) arts incorporate creative ideals to objects, such as coasters, a decorative park bench or lists to be used in every day situations.

A majority of the projects I created were inspired by Knock Knock, “a semi-spanking-new design company with aspirations to greatness.” Their merch is both aesthetically pleasing and hilariously witty, so you should check it out.

For my blog assignment this week, I decided to create a family of lists that can be used. And thanks to the magic of the interweb, you can print these out and use them for yourself. Here’s the line-up (click on the image for more info):

And here they are, cut-out and in action:

I hope that was as good for you as it was for me.

Post Comic-Con buzz

2008-07-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

Here is an extra-cute picture of Romero, Rivera and Essl enjoying golden hour beverages rooftop style after a long day at the Con. So romantic!

Get Schooled By The Intern: F-ing Is For Everyone!

2008-07-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

Settle down, this entry is about the art of folding.

Origami is the birth child of China, oru meaning “folding,” and kami meaning “paper.” The goal of this type of art is to create a representation of an object, only using geometric folds and crease patterns. Added challenge: doing all of this on one sheet of square paper without the use of gluing or cutting the paper. Origami goes way back. Samurai warriors would exchange gifts of folded strips of paper as a token of good luck. Origami butterflies were used during the celebration of Shinto weddings to represent the bride and groom. Eventually, origami became a big thing, notably in the 1960s and is now an international art.

The art of folding isn’t only about origami or paper airplanes. Though, I do remember doing my fifth grade science fair project on paper airplanes and it was pretty tight. (I was about to say that it “reached new heights” or “it really took off” but I figured that would be way too corny. So I guess I decided to include it in parenthesis instead, only to further the evidence of my love for corny things). So my point three lines ago, was that origami goes beyond paper airplanes and folding love notes to that boy in your English class. In the design world, folding can be taken one step further and used to create multi-sectioned package designing. The subject of this entry didn’t start off as me thinking about origami, per say, but instead, I saw a fantastic CD package done by The Giraffes for their album “Prime Motivator.” They took a sheet of red vellum paper, printed out art work and lyrics on one side and folded it in an organized way as to where their CD fit snugly into the final piece. Needless to say, it got the wheels turning on the noggin and next thing you know, I’m researching different ways to fold paper.

There are a variety of ways to fold paper. Yes, other than hotdog or hamburger folding. I’m not going to list them all, but I WILL hook you up with the Wikipedia page of different folding methods. I found this great site, Instructables, and they had great tutorials on different types of CD packaging and other great things a craftster could ever desire. A lot of folding technique is also math-based, like Dr. David Huffmann's technique. Dr. Huffman teaches at the University of California at Santa Cruz and he has created some pretty complex folded structures using mathematic equations and formulas.

This image is pretty self-explanatory. But here are some folding techniques I experimented. With practice, it got a lot easier. And knowing just a few folding methods can give you a rather large range of things you can do with a simple piece of paper.

So the art of folding can appeal to many different types of people, coming from different types of backgrounds. The great thing about it is that it’s universal. For designers, it can be that little “umph” that could push your design ahead of everybody else’s. You can make it as complex or as simple as you can handle. The Samurai warriors knew what was up: paper art can be the perfect display of creativity and thoughtfulness, tenfold.

Get Schooled By The Intern: The James Dean of Design.

2008-06-26T01:05:00.000-07:00

There have been many rebels in our time. Some have been plastered on our television screens, their faces gracing the front page news and their names clogging our RSS fields. However, in my on-going quest of interesting weekly (or more than a week) research, a light was shed on a whole new subculture of rebels. And unlike the movie title, these rebels have causes.

Google bombing, Whirl-mart, Subvertising, Stickering and the Billboard Liberation Front are just some of the groups I looked into this week to provide you, my faithful reader, with some knowledge in my new favorite James Dean of designers: culture jammers. Typical aims of culture jammers can include many things, ranging from super serious to not-so serious. In the end, the basis is to have a good laugh at the expense of prevailing social events (sounds good to me).

The phrase “culture jamming” comes from the idea of “radio jamming.” Radio jamming stems from the idea that public frequencies can be pirated and subverted for independent communication. Here is your crash course in the fine art of culture jamming:

Google Bombing :: a widespread effort to purposely influence the automated association of specific keywords and results produced by internet engines. Whirl-mart :: an event that seeks to mimic and mock what they perceive as the absurdity of the shopping process, often by organizing a crowd to walk around a Wal-Mart in an apparent daze for several hours, buying nothing. Stickering :: placing stickers on stop signs to create messages. For example: “Stop War,” “Stop Eating Animals” “Stop! Hammertime!” and so forth. Billboard Liberation Front :: billboard modifications are done in the style of original billboards, by groups or individuals.

ORIGINAL PRANKSTERS
There are many artists that are involved with said ”culture jamming,” and a lot of them having pseudo names. This mysterious aspect of them, though intriguing, makes it hard to find information about them online. However, there are a lot of forums dedicated to the whereabouts and recent happenings of some of these artists.

BANKSY is a well-known pseudo-anonymous English graffiti artist. His artworks are often satirical pieces of art on topics such as politics, culture, ethics and a lot of his influences come from Blek le Rat (who worked with stencils in 1981). Banksy’s messages are usually anti-war, anti-capitalist and/or anti-establishment. He sticks it to the man, you might say. Banksy produced a quantity of spoof British £10 notes substituting the picture of the Queen’s head with Princess Diana’s head and changing the text “Bank of England” to “Banksy of England.” A large wad of these were thrown into a crowd during a Notting Hill Carnival and some tried to spend them in local shops.

RON ENGLISH began his liberation on billboards, where he would (illegally, he’s even been thrown in the slammer a few times) replace a billboard with his own politically inspired vision.
His work may sometimes lead to a literal revision: Apple Macintosh starring Charlie Manson with Ron English’s logo replacing Apple’s apple (left image). Or other times, they simply remark on the nature of advertising. Much like his mimc of Norman Rockwell, English emulates Picasso, Warhol, Munch and a host of other canonical Western artists to surprising effect. English is more interested in popular icons. Nothing is sacred, and in his new world, Mickey Mouse is more pertinent than Jesus.

MR BRAINWASH aka MBW aka Thierry Guetta, is a French filmmaker turned graffiti artists. His style is reminiscent of Banksy’s, and like other culture jammers, he takes cultural icons and warps them into interesting pieces of work. Recently, his art work has been unleashed and randomly appearing, wheat-pasted up and down Los Angeles and Hollywood. On my way to work, actually, I’ve noticed posters sprouting up and about. Why is this, you ask? “Life is Beautiful” is the first exhibition ever mounted by Mr Brainwash. Taking place in an old Hollywood studio complex, it will feature over one hundred paintings, sculptures and print alongside an installation made from 100,000 shoes. The exhibit hours are from June 27th-29th from 1PM-9PM and is on Sunset Boulevard. Leah and I checked it out last Friday and it definitely lived up to the hype. The space was gargantuan and MBW did not waste any space. The walls were covered with graffiti and his artwork. From 3D pieces to elegantly framed ones, it's definitely a must-see show. And it’s free to the public, so if you’re in the neighborhood, you should definitely check it out. Here's a link to the site as well.

Reading about these artists and their compassion, influence, and drives have provided me with a reminder of the reason we do art. We don’t do it to make money (but this is a nice perk, of course). We don’t do it to climb the social and economic ladder. We do art to express ourselves and what we believe in. And that, my friend, is a lesson well-learned.

Which brings me to the project I worked on to accompany my research on our artistic rebel rousers. I’d like to preface with an apology for my absence the past few weeks in delivering you with something to read from me. Forgive me! My project is inspired from a quote that I stumbled upon when working on my Nick Egan inspired collage a few weeks back. It was from an interview with an artist (the name escapes me, sorry) and the question was, “What made you decide to be an artist?” The response was, “I get to play God.” I liked this quote because it kind of leads back to the roots of the phenomenon of culture jammers. They ruled the school, they were kings of the world, they got to play God.

A glimpse at the new Becca Straus

2008-06-21T14:02:00.001-07:00

Laura Narikawa and I were very busy shooting a new campaign for Becca Straus this past week. Below is a sneak peek shot of behind-the-scenes action during the editorial shot by Laura modeled by Tammy. So beautiful, wait til you see...

I also styled and snapped some stills of Becca's beautiful gems!

Gas Sucks

2008-06-19T17:39:00.000-07:00

Super Saturday 11 The Game

2008-06-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the very talented and supernice Justin Van Hoy, who helped draw the logo, lovely clouds, grasses and framework for this year’s Super Saturday 11 to benefit The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Super Saturday in the Hamptons was named the “Rolls Royce of Garage Sales” by The New York Times and raises thousands of dollars for OCRF each year “...to fund research, find a method of early detection and ultimately a cure for ovarian cancer.”

Here are some of our past designs for OCRF 1 2

Get Schooled By The Intern: Hope you’re eager for some Egan.

2008-06-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

n i c k E G A N :: IN EXCESS
[ nickegan.com ]

London, England didn’t know what was coming in 1958.

He graced the halls of Watford College of Art and Design and whilst in school, Egan designed for upcoming artists such as The Clash and The Ramones.
Later, he designed album artwork for Bow Wow Wow’s “See Jungle,” [pictured left] which was recently voted into the Top 100 Album Covers of All Time by Rolling Stone Magazine. His clientele is impressive, having worked with Oasis, Alanis Morisette, Mick Jagger, Sonic Youth, Duran Duran, Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Kylie Minogue and INXS. From the beginning, he’s worked with some of the most eccentric characters in film, fashion and rock ’n roll.

GETCHA FASH-ON :: Egan’s worked closely with designer Vivienne Westwood on her “World’s End” clothing line. Invitations and art directed fashion shows in London and Paris are just a few of his contributions. He also designed the label for the first collection EVER for Marc Jacobs, called “Sketchbook.”

DIRECTOR :: After living in NYC for awhile, he moved to LA where he became one of the world’s premiere music video directors. His first vid was Iggy Pop’s “Real Wild Child.” Soon after, he started collecting all sorts of awards and worked through PROPAGANDA FILMS where he chilled with fellow directors Spike Jonez, Mark Romanek, David Fincher and Michael Bay. His talent doesn’t stop there, though. He also moved on to shooting and directing commercials and innovative TV spots for: Coca Cola, Levi’s, Nike, Nintendo and Sony Play Station.

According to his MySpace, he enjoys the movie Bladerunner, the book Treasure Island, and listening to Run DMC (these are all just the highlights).

RECENT NEWS :: The latest buzz on Egan is the collection of t-shirts with a Japanese company, 2K T Shirts. 2K hosts some very cool Japanese graphic artists, as well as Yoko Ono, Jean Michell Basquait and Andy Warhol. Egan also has his own line of t-shirts with Superfine Jeans and also did a special shirt for Kate Moss. He’s expanded with a line of scarves for a label called Nickel and jacket linings for another Japanese company, Nave. Egan has also designed a website for Sir Ken Robinson, so everyone should go check it out here. Sir Ken is also the first person to commission one of Egan’s paintings. Painting is also another hobby of Egan’s, one that has always been personal, but as of late, requests have been coming for him to paint more, so get excited!

Nick Egan is married to producer, Ann Haugen, and has two sons, Roman (14), Dashiell (7) and a daughter, Ava June (3). Recently, he appeared in VH1’s “Most Shocking Celebrity Moments of the 90s.” Nice!

**Special shout-out to Mr. Egan for providing me with a plethora of great material to do my research.

Along with my research, I created this piece. It’s heavily inspired by Mr. Egan’s work. It’s an experiment with 3D (somewhat) photo collages. The panel is split into three parts: the top including women falling from the sky; finding themselves planted mid-panel alongside men. The bottom and final panel’s environment is underground. This piece is titled: Fall Into The Gap. Props to Brian Romero for his mad photography skills.

Until next week,
Jessica

Get Schooled by the Intern Part Deux

2008-06-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to introduce the freshest design intern in town, Jessica Endaya. She travelled all the way from Blue Springs, Missouri to enjoy a thorough Faustian hazing this summer. Look out for Jess’s first blog on Friday, she will be schooling you on designer Nick Egan!

Get Used!

2008-05-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

One of our favorites, The Vacation celebrated the release of their new Album Get Used (which you should buy here) at Les Deux Monday with Mack Winston and the Reflections, who were excellent...this was the right way to end a 3 day weekend.

8 at 8 in Playboy

2008-05-13T11:47:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to our client Sarah Kathryn and her team at 8 at 8 for their feature in the Advisor section in this month’s Playboy! Editors list Eight at Eight as the way for the “modern man” to meet women!

Coachella 08

2008-05-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

Brian's photos are posted on Flickr and Losanjealous.com! Here is a quick Faust-eye-view:

Packed for Coachella

2008-04-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

Damn, I can’t wait any longer!!! Get me outta here!!! I’m ready to get scorched in the desert, dancing to an awesome lineup.
Check B's blog and Losanjealous.com for a Brian’s-eye-view.

Who What Where???

2008-03-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

Just working. Will post newness ASAP. In the meanwhile:

Spring has sprung in the hills

Daily trips to Beachwood Market

A visit from Moms

Crazy sky during aurora borealis

Went to “Church”

The Vacation at the Viper Room (photo: Brian Romero)

Lady heard something!

Riding in E + R’s new Caddy

Marble floor at the Getty Villa

Aural pleasure from the Giraffes (photo: Brian Romero)

Smart Fitzjerrell Fall 08 look book

2008-03-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

DVNO

2008-03-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

Art director So-Me did his thing once again with Ed Banger Records artists Justice. DVNO is my favorite song off of their debut: †. You may remember So-Me by the 500 t-shirt graphics he drew & animated against b/w footage for their award-winning video D.A.N.C.E.

Becca Straus in Harper’s Bazaar!

2008-02-20T10:17:00.000-08:00

See Lindsay Lohan rock Becca’s Dome Ring in Harper’s Bazaar March 2008 issue.

I Need a Hero shot by Peter Lindbergh

I love you, Rock n’ Roll!

2008-02-13T10:30:00.001-08:00

Celebrate your love at the Viper Room thursday night with The Vacation.

Photo: Brian Romero

Laura Miro, Photographer

2008-01-28T14:04:00.000-08:00

For those of you who haven’t seen Laura Miro’s soulful and stylish photos here are a few selections from her set Just like a cat she landed on her feet featuring Alyssa Lobit.

In the coming months I will have the opportunity to work with Laura and I can’t wait to work with her shots and create some designs inspired by her view of the world.

As you can see, Laura is a natural.

-Leah

The Vacation wins over Swinghouse crowd

2008-01-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome back Ben, Steve, Denny and Dutch. We are but humble servants of your Rockitude.

Photo by Brian Romero

The Vacation slays The Viper Room every thursday night in February. There is no excuse to miss the absolute best rock band in Los Angeles. Be there!

Eyewear Design porn

2008-01-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

From the packaging to the design of the sunglasses themselves, the CazalxDita line perfectly marries the styles of trendy eyewear designer Dita and oldskool favorite Cazal, preferred by 80’s hip-hop’n West German grandparents. Now is the time to start saving up: they cost $750/pair.

Below are Cazals rocked by The Human Beat Box, Darren “Buffy” Robinson of the FAT BOYS at Venice Beach, California, circa 1985:

(thanks to Theory at Hip-Hop.net for the pic of Darren and High Snobiety for the new hotness)

So-Cal Fire Poster Project

2008-01-22T14:57:00.000-08:00

Please Help by Michael Osbourne Design

Donated by designers and artists around the globe, posters sold at the So-Cal Fire Poster Project raise funds for victims of the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties. All proceeds will be given to the Salvation Army, for the 2007 California Wildfire fund.

Mail Call!

2008-01-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

Libby Modern of Half-Full fame sent me the world's coolest LibbyWallet, fully customized to accommodate yours truly. I was amazed with the personal details and can't stop showing it off. Some of my favorites: Jimmy Page with a heart, is that my boy ZANE LAMPREY???, Purple Rain sticker, reminder of things that are illegal (Like selling perfumes as a drink!). Have a look:

Faust Haus is bustlin' henceforth sporadic updates to the ol' bloggity...I sure could use more mail...
- Leah

Another client shout out: Becca Straus

2007-12-17T14:15:00.001-08:00

Daily Candy Sweetest Things: Vote for Smart Fitzjerrell!!

2007-12-17T12:04:00.000-08:00

Show your support for one of our favorite clients and designers, Mary Kathryn Wells & cast your vote here.

Prim and Properly Punk | Smart Fitzjerrell
The evening starts out innocently enough. A chaste yellow sundress. Intelligent conversation. Pimm’s cups.

The clock strikes midnight. Suddenly, bawdy jokes. New dance moves. Make-out sessions in the bathroom. Sunrise. Taco numero dos on the street corner. Taxi to work.

Unconventional. But polished. That’s how you roll. Mary Kathryn Wells, too.

The designer and Little Rock native brought her proper Southern upbringing and sewing machine to Manhattan, where she dreamed up Smart Fitzjerrell, a line of ladylike frocks, tops, and bottoms with a little edge.

You’ll thank her for party dresses that can take you from baby shower to dive bar, a seersucker bubble skirt that looks awesome with combat boots, and hot shorts that are tiny but tasteful. Yes, ma’am, there are crazy fabric pairings like preppy silk plaids, lace hems, Peruvian-style ribbons, and gold lamé trims.

Wells designed the styles to accommodate all kinds of girls — especially the curvy ones.

Now that’s some Southern hospitality.

Cutie McBaby!

2007-12-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

For those of you with bambinos in your life, I suggest dropping some holiday cash on Cutie McBaby's hand-dyed onesies. The premiere line features a variety of brilliant colors with hand-stitched colored felt. This baby gear is the brainchild of Soylab founder, Sarah Bagwell, so you know that means it's made with love and care for the environment.

Contact Sarah to see her current line and inquire about purchasing a onesie for your cuties. Website coming soon...

Oh yeah & we designed the logo!

Lost Smart Fitzjerrell photos by Fiona Clark

2007-12-08T23:05:00.001-08:00

A couple of Fi's shots from behind the scenes spring 2008 Smart Fitzjerrell--well worth the wait:

Why we ♥ Fiona Clark

2007-12-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

Today this drawing arrived from Fiona as a trade for photos I FINALLY developed of Smart Fitzjerrell Fall 07 shoot, but have yet to send (of course!).

Fiona is in a similar position to me when I left school- can’t get a full-time gig. I, too was unable to take her on as a designer this fall but we are still holding out because that day will come. In the meantime we maintain a desk that no one ever sits in, which we named Fiona's desk! It’s magical:

Even though she is up against some odds, Fi is becoming a better designer every day, honing her skills and working freelance for cash. Most recently she has been drawing type and patterns - some of her drawings are for sale on Etsy. You should already know about her blog and site.

Thanks Fi! We miss you!
Leah

Smart Fitzjerrell Fall 08 sneak peek

2007-11-29T10:03:00.001-08:00

A few selects from the Smart Fitzjerrell shoot last week:

Everyone agrees this was by far the most natural and easy shoot, thanks to Kristen Rubio's infallible looks & Melissa, Brian and Oliver (of Sparky's fame) for allowing us to use their amazing loft in the Burg. Here is Melissa loving the lil guy:

Props to Brian Romero for snapping up that hotness, and of course MK Wells for keeping us all involved in the creative process as she continues to build her line.

Art Rant™ by Emily Lakin

2007-11-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

After a somewhat challenging conversation with a member the other day, I was inspired to write the latest rant on corporate funding of nonprofits. This gentleman was in an uproar that we had participated in a charity fundraiser at the invitation of Bloomingdale’s. As on of about 10 Bay Area organizations, we stood to get $5 for every ticket turned in, and $5,000 if we had turned in the most tickets. People who received this invite not only helped support our organization (and got a FREE ticket to our opening), but their ticket included a 15% off coupon for the store. We spent 3 days assembling, stickering and stamping 3,000 pieces of mail, which were received by our members, ticket buyers, friends, family and acquaintances.

Then came the fateful call – a guy who I first thought was mad because he believed the mail came from Bloomies (meaning that we had shared his contact info) yet my explanation that we had assembled and mailed it ourselves wasn’t enough. In fact, he proceeded to go on about how companies and art institutions should not be in partnership. If you can’t finance yourself, you should just close your doors!

I was having a rough week. And to top if off, I had to say things like “Well, I appreciate your opinion…” while trying to keep calm that this ASSHOLE felt that he needed to tell me how this institution should be run. But the truth is – he didn’t have a clue. And as he went on to tell me how he gives thousands of dollars to the place across the street and doesn’t give us much, it only made me more furious. You would be hard pressed to find any mid-sized arts organization that doesn’t take corporate money (including his much-loved institution). The benefits they receive in return perhaps are not as explicit as they were in this situation, but that doesn’t change the fact that money or goods in-kind are changing hands. The bottom line is this – public money for art has been dramatically reduced since the 1980s. California doesn’t even have the money to have art classes in schools. Remember that hour in elementary school where you got to draw and use glue and glitter? Yeah, well, no more.

It’s amazing to find those people who can give large sums of money, but consider that one $250,000 gift is only 1/24th of a 6 million dollar budget. And yes, foundation money is a great social benefit. Yes, people who can afford any sort of gift are helping even in a small way. But the truth of the matter is that many organizations can’t afford to invest in their programs, don’t pay their hardworking staff enough, and work on computers Steve Jobs would laugh at*. Corporate support usually offers easy money with no strings attached.

And here’s where the moral argument applies. Many companies are actively looking to invest in the community and the ethics of the matter come into play when the organization takes money from a company that violates its beliefs or sacrifices its curatorial or directorial duties in exchange for the contribution. Would I take money for my imaginary nonprofit if they wanted to present a Philip Morris curated show? No. Would I take money from the local Philip Morris office who wanted to purchase a corporate membership and give all their employees access to the work I was presenting? Absolutely.

It’s this fundamental difference in the relationship of money and power that my caller obviously didn’t understand. And he’s not required to know, but I certainly didn’t need to be lectured on the subject. In fact, his insistence that we should not accept this kind of money and his attempt to leverage his status as a potential donor is exactly the kind of power play that’s not acceptable. It made me cranky, and all I wanted to do is offer him his $150 back and tell him not to bother, he obviously doesn’t get it.

*I’m not saying these do or do not apply to my current job.

Emily asked that I post this link to Jori Finkel's article in the NY Times about the Murakami exhibit currently showing in Los Angeles. I also wanted to post the following, pointed out in Princeton by E. Lakin last week. - Leah

Two Great Tastes

2007-11-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

If you want to see something cute watch this video of M.I.A. & Diplo working out the track “Paper Planes” off of her new album Kala.

You can hear the final recording of “Paper Planes” while you peruse the Holiday 07 collection for Hellz Bellz by Lanie Alabanza, who is an inspired designer with a gorgeously styled brand.

Courtney & Slash

2007-11-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Went out to see The Binges last night...rocked as per usual awesomeness.

Faust Haus portfolio is live:

2007-10-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

faust-haus.com or leahfaust.com - your choice!

Introducing...Written.

2007-10-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

Written. is a unique collection of correspondence by two designers: Leah Faust, Los Angteles-based art director for Faust Haus + Mary Kathryn Wells, New York-based clothing designer for Smart Fitzjerrell.

Our cards are designed using the surprising combo of textiles you ♥ from Smart Fitzjerrell + are handcrafted by the designers themselves. Old school. Better yet- $1 from each card sold is used to purchase supplies for a New Orleans public school established in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

If you are in New York City on 10/24/07 grab a sample of our Leopard + Lace card, as well as a cold, rummy beverage at Smart Fitzjerrell's fall throwdown: 200 Orchard from 6-9pm. If not, e-mail + join the mailing list to preview our 8 limited edition cards available for special order this holiday season: written@smartfitzjerrell.com

Hot damn!

Custom time

2007-10-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

- Faust Haus “Metal” is almost finished…would you wear it?

- Gonzo Interactive logo inspired by Prismania G (from Modern Display Alphabets)

- Written by Faust Haus & Smart Fitzjerrell.

Curious about Written? Preview our new stationery line & take home a supafly sample at the Smart Fitzjerrell Fall ‘07 throwdown: 200 Orchard on Wednesday, Oct. 24

Rachel Car: Keep Me High

2007-10-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

Erin Strater created this stunner for Rachel Car’s song Keep Me High off of the Behave EP. Enjoy & be prepared to shake your moneymaker…

We just completed the second edition of handmade Behave EPs. You can purchase the EP through Rachel’s site, itunes and Amazon.com.

San Francisco Makes Me Hungry

2007-10-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

My weekend started off with Emily at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts for a farewell to their beloved curator René De Guzman. We ate dim sum and drank champagne then followed that with some beverages at 111 Minna and The Rite Spot. Then we had late night tacos at Pancho Villa. Then we crashed.

Saturday morning we were off to Philz for chai brewed one cup at a time with powdered herbs. Outrageously good.

On out walk through the Mission we saw a fresh gold tag on this restaurant signage on 16th

Had a brunch burrito at St. Francis Soda Fountain and met a gentleman who rides with Creatures of the Loin moped gang! Cool.

Emily bought some Pee-Wee cards at the St. Francis candy store: So funny I forgot to laugh.

Sparerib Saturday was a supplement to the Pork Chop Friday supper club which Emily was kind enough to invite me to. Katie cooked some serious ribs with rosemary & wine pan reduction. The dinner was held at Big Dave's house. There were many Kates in attendance including this one:

Kate works at Tartine as a baker and made this magnificent lemon merengue pie. We enjoyed it and said goodnight...

In the morning I spent time looking some of Em's art collection

And her recently aquired books from Last Gasp- this one is The R. Crumb Handbook.

We headed out to Mission Beach Cafe to drink some Blue Bottle Coffee.

Then to Dolores Park to play with random dogs before I jetted back to LA. Thanks as always Em for bringing the superfun and interesting times.

Ransom note: WE HAVE THE VIEW

2007-09-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

If you ever want to see this view again, you better book a flight. Virgin Atlantic has a sale from NYC to LA $139 each way. Or if you're in SF you can get here for $39 each way.

Otherwise this view is ours!!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Faust Haus: The Lost Album Art

2007-09-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've been banging out album/poster/tee art all summer long. Here are a few designs that didn't make the cut:

Tone-Loc Wild Thing Peaches Remix (!!!) for Delicious Vinyl (custom type, illustration)

Some DV custom

Drive A concept art

The Duke Spirit poster

Leah

Chad’s Plaid

2007-08-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

Procrastinating, making patters when I should be doing other work…Here’s to you Chad!

-L

YRB party catered by Food Dudes at L&L Space

2007-08-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Fi & I accompanied Brian & old friends D & Stefan to a YRB party celebrating their upcoming food issue. B has some fresh custom type in the september issue! Buy it! The soiree was held at YRB Creative Director Jonathan Levine's new art space L&L on Melrose. Here is B tagging up the walls with a redneck eating a chicken drumstick. You can also see Fi's chicken drawing to the right:

The event was catered by Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook-The Food Dudes behind Carmelized productions. They fed us with a crazy hybrid of jewish & mexican food. The event was taped for the Dudes' new show on the Food Network - look for the Faust Haus crew munching yummy hors d'oeuvres on camera.

Below is Fi giving the cameras a hilarious tutorial on how to draw a hound dog. We miss you, kid!!!

Leah

P.S. Here are some more crappy iPhone pics from the Beastie Boys’ show on monday at the Greek. GV forever!

Watching the sweat roll down Adrock’s face

A small slice of the crowd

Thanks for the hospitality

Mmm! Delicious!

2007-08-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

Faust Haus is teaming with Delicious Vinyl to provide art direction & design on some summer projects including graphics, posters, merch & an LP. Much more to come.

Rejected!

2007-08-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a draft of Leah’s 15 minute design for Cut & Paste with the theme of Childhood. Congrats to the final 8 L.A. designers, see you at The Fonda in October!

Cut & Paste Los Angeles

2007-07-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

Leah will be competing in the test round of Cut & Paste in LA at the end of this month. If all goes as planned, you’ll be seeing her in the finals...

Fiona at work…

2007-07-18T21:15:00.001-07:00

I love these pieces by Fiona Clark. They were part of an exploration for her senior project and I thought they deserved some play...Fiona is coming to visit in August and we've got a bunch of in-house projects planned as well as some dance parties.

-L

Rachel Car Disco

2007-07-09T13:58:00.001-07:00

Shot w/ Brian Romero for Ms. Car’s upcoming disco single...here is the first enhanced image w/aurora borealis-inspired imagery taken by the talented young Fiona Clark.

Skanky rocks The Roxy

2007-07-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

I don’t know. I stood right next to Travis “Skanky” Smith tuesday night and he smelled pretty fresh to me. Maybe I was lucky enough to be near him after a recent shower. Regardless, The Binges rocked hard as ever, leaving me with headbangers neck. As a pleasant bonus, I was able to score a Kii-Arens-designed vinyl single of The Binges’ Hear Me Out/Rock Show (Sneaky Devil/ Sympathy For The Record Industry). When Kii isn’t being a kickass artist he is also the manager of The Binges. Awesome.

Sharing the bill were The Vacation.

Their new songs have a lot of supersexy swagger that seemed to resound with the ladies- including groupies grinding eachother in the front row. The Vacation didn’t seem interested as Ben Tegel whispered the bitch-slap of a song “shit talker” which explicitly outlines why he hates superficial Los Angelinos.

Also caught Year Long Disaster and Tokyo Smog. Every band rocked.

I like to use Brian Romero’s photos in my blog to make me look good.

- Leah

Scratch and Sniff

2007-07-02T20:58:00.001-07:00

Can you smell the new Faust Haus site coming? So close…

Becca Straus on the web

2007-06-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

A little something we whipped up to showcase Becca's gorgeous jewels. Our current favorite is the Jaqueline cocktail ring with green gold and lemon citrine. Yum!

Keep Me High - Rachel Car

2007-06-26T12:38:00.003-07:00

Stellar UK press for Hollywood’s Lady of dark electro & synth pop. Electronically Yours profiles Rachel Car & Strater Records including a little shout out for Faust Haus. We‘ll take it!

Introducing…Rachel Car in Tinsel Town
A massive surge in electro activity may well be engulfing most of Europe where even the UK is being re-awakened to the collective charms of warm analogue synths and chic female vocals, but what of the US?

Hollywood's Rachel Car has fused some very soulful vocals with brilliant new wave synth rifts that stimulates passionate thoughts of early Soft Cell/Depeche Mode hooks and it all sounds like something you would hear blasting out from the seediest corners of Soho. There are a few tracks on 'Behave' that may just tempt you to venture into seedy clubland.

After leaving Yazoo in 1983, Sir Vince Clarke flirted around a musical project entitled The Assembly and released the gem 'Never Never' with guest vocals from Feargal Sharkey. What made the track work was the bizarre contrast between Sharkey's vocals (more associated with punk at the time in the UK) and Clarke's mournful and haunting electronic backing and it's surprising that more haven't followed the Yazoo/Assembly route since.

The Assembly contrast was the first thing we thought of when we received a package from Strater Records in Los Angeles containing Rachel Carr's EP, as we sat back with some fine wine and turned up the volume. Rachel's voice is special. She can hold a note as well as the likes of Annie Lennox, Alison Moyet and Amy Winehouse (how we would love to see her make an electro record), Rachel can also provide an effortless amount of complex vocal harmonies and when this is mixed in with the stark electronics of 'Behave' - it sounds like heaven to our ears (and we still adore 'You Got The Love' by The Source & Candi Staton after all these years). The 4 track 'Behave' EP kicks off with 'Keep Me High' with it's echoes of Debbie Harry circa 1979 during the intro before moving into a classic Vince Clarke musical interlude coupled with some soaring early Eurythmic-like vocal wailings.

Title track 'Behave' is next up and it has a very lovely fat squelchy bass with arpeggiated sequences coupled with a haunting synth melody that you may have come across on the 12" of 1984 Bronski Beat classic 'Smalltown Boy'. The track is driven by an extremely catchy bassline with seductive 'oohs' and 'aahs' from Rachel at crucial moements. We haven't been able to get enough of this track and if/when we get to put together an Electronically Yours CD compilation (and we could be pretty close to getting one of those sorted out ;)) - 'Behave' will be a contender.

More squelchy bass action for track 3 'Superstar' and we can't get enough of squelchy bass action - for over 20 years now - we have been seduced by it. 'Superstar' is a great track by anyone's standards but it is somewhat eclipsed by the EP's finale (and another contender for the proposed Electronically Yours CD comp). 'Love Love Baby' is perhaps the finest of the tracks on offer. It's delectable, saucy and slightly naughty. Rachel sings about wanting a woman and she 'knows it's a sin' - this is perfect electro nightclub dancefloor filler material with precise beats and pounding synths and a little bit of 'Darkness' by The Human League. The track is minimal yet full on at the same time and the entire EP is written, produced, engineered and programmed by Rachel.

This music is so unlike Hollywood - there is real talent captured on this EP. Strater Records have produced some very collectable packaging for the Car release that endeared us to the artist even more. The digipak contins four picture cards featuring Rachel rolling in hay and if you turn them over - you get the lyrics to each track - its a lovely touch and we can't wait to hear more electro soul searching from Rachel in Tinsel Town.

If you head on over to Rachel's official myspace page, you can listen to all four 'Behave' tracks plus watch an exclusive interview where the singer answers cheeky questions from fans.

Rachel Car @ myspace
Rachel Car official site

Music is my king-size bed

2007-06-13T10:12:00.001-07:00

Goldenvoice is being very generous with the danceparty this week:

CSS at the Henry Fonda Theatre

Blue Crowd by Eatmeatnow

LCD Soundsystem at El Rey

El Rey Marquee by Greenplastic875

Hot Chip at the Henry Fonda Theatre tonight…

Dang! Smart Fitzjerrell Spring/Summer 2008

2007-05-29T00:18:00.000-07:00

Faust Haus shot for Smart Fitzjerrell's Spring/Summer 08 in New York this weekend. The crew worked tirelessly and brought the A game as usual! Hot shit!

Viviana

Mary Kathryn

The hard working all-girl crew

Preview coming soon…

Kristen Rubio stylist, Viviana Perez model, MK Wells visionnaire, Fiona Clark photo/keeping it real, Arielle Toelke Makeup/hair/Styling and Leah Faust photo/AD

Behave!

2007-05-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Behave EP, Rachel Car, Strater Records 2007

Ms. Car’s Behave EP available through her freshly renovated site & iTunes!

Born To Be Dizzy

2007-05-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

Oh hell yes!

The Starlite Desperation at Spaceland by Mister B. Romero

Sketches for Amelia Toelke

2007-05-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

Lots of drawing going on these days...struggling to improve my freehand type skills and working on some poster art as well. Hurts so good.

Meanwhile- here are 2 type samples I drew for Amelia Toelke, who is a super talented jewelry designer. More designs for Amelia to come:

Happy Belated 26th to MK & Ali

2007-05-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

26 by L. Faust

Made this wood mounted posted for 2 special ladies who just turned 26! Erin of Strater Records pointed out that it gives a nod to Robert Indiana. I wasn't very familiar with his work, but now I’m all over it!

V/H (9) Original color serigraph, 1982. Spaightwood Galleries

[Green] Satellite Party

2007-05-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

New York, NY May 1, 2007 – “Alternative rock originator Perry Farrell has announced that the debut offering for his groundbreaking new rock project, Satellite Party, will be released on May 29th in an entirely eco-friendly, green form. With its revolutionary digipack made exclusively out of recycled paper, the packaging is an ambitious gesture in helping to promote a healthy, sustainable environment. Additionally, the disc in which Farrell's propulsive music is featured on is carbon-neutral, with the estimated CO2 produced from its manufacture, shipping and packaging being offset by helping build renewable energy projects with NativeEnergy (www.nativeenergy.com).

The much buzzed-about innovative and conceptual album marries Farrell's love of music with his long-dedication to the environment and has been called "Farrell's strongest body of work since "Ritual" by Rolling Stone Magazine.”

Our respect for Perry Farrell and sustainable design meet! On the same subject, Fi recommends checking out Design Can Change.

Watch the video for Wish Upon A Dog Star and shake your green booty!

Shop Online at the new SmartFitzjerrell.com

2007-05-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Smart Fitzjerrell's new site & online store have launched, and along with it comes some great press! Big congrats to MK Wells and all the folks at Smart Fitzjerrell for a fantastic write-up in Daily Candy this morning!

Coachella 2007 candids

2007-04-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

Cocktails for breakfast

The Family Porche

Mainstage

Sahara Tent

End of the night

Artist area aftermath

You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here!

My top 12 in no particular order:
Satellite Party
Jesus and Mary Chain
Brazilian Girls
Björk
Willie Nelson
Justice
Klaxons
Peaches
Red Hot Chili Peppers
CSS
Placebo
Rage Against The Machine

Goodbye to one of the best experiences of my life! See you next year!

Visit Brian Romero's blog & flickr to see the beautiful photos he shot thanks to his all-access pass from Goldenvoice. Truly awesome!!!

The Bingessssss

2007-04-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

Mayuko Okai & Dylan Squatcho by Brian Romero

The Binges rocked last night, blew the rest of the bands out of the water. If you live in LA: next monday is the last night of their residency at King King and you should really be there!!!

P.S. If you aren’t reading Brian’s blog or checking his Flickr page, shame on you…somethins a brewin and once you see what B is coming out with, I’m pretty sure it will blow your frikken minds.

Rejects III

2007-04-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

OCRF asked us back to commemorate their 10th year- Here is some pitch art that we rather like from this year’s Super Saturday invitation:

What they asked for: Funky & illustrated using primarily blue, red & yellow.

Our take: School House Rock/Japanese paper dolls from the 60's/Unicorns/Twister/Wonderbread

What they asked for: Collaged background with puffy fun graffiti type
Our take: Collaged with graffiti type...all sorts

The chosen design is in production and we’ll post ‘em in May!

The Binges at King King tonight!!!

2007-04-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

We’ve been saying it for weeks (they have residence), but we’re really going to see The Binges at King King tonight. Also playing: Dirty Sweet, Sergeant, Lightning Bill, DJ Kii.

Soapbox Blog #3

2007-04-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

Learning to accept Pixel Fonts

I used to avoid using pixel fonts altogether. I saw their function–pixel fonts load almost instantly and claim increased readability onscreen–but their jagged edges, caused by bitmaps, were fugly. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, they seemed too harsh to accompany anything other than techy postmodern design.

Miniml foundry: how is this more readable?

Recently, when asked to use a pixel font in a web gallery, I discovered some very stylish advancements. The super-pixel font maintains the same strict construction rules as the relular ol’ pixel font; each letter edge must align on the pixel to avoid blurring. The change? Refined 1/4 pixel edges add high definition clarity and sleekness that just didn't exist before in screen-based fonts. Now we can have our speed with style!

Fonts For Flash: I like my tequila 8 pt

“Fonts for Flash's super pixel fonts are made up of single pixels, but with an addition. Where they want to smooth the shape with a curve etc. they add an additional 1/4 pixel square (If you enlarged a super pixel font to 400% you'll see the 1/4 pixel as a whole pixel). The net result of that is that when rendered on a screen at the correct size the screen tries to colour the pixel accordingly, in the same way that normal fonts blur at a smaller size. FFF's super pixel fonts are just controlled blurring.” - Poab from Glasgow, Flashgroup forums

For another fresh look, peruse Orgdot, a media lab based in Oslo, Norway. “Orgdot is continuously running several self initiated research projects developing the summit and skills required for the effective realization of any project...” Including these fine specimens:

Create your own bitmap fonts with Font Lab's Bitfonter. Learn more about pixel fonts at WPDFD.

Missing the Blog!

2007-04-06T14:35:00.001-07:00

Working on the new portfolio (about damn time) and trying to find the time to post all sorts of backlogged work.

Meanwhile, we just acquired this print (along with 4 others from Aesthetic Apparatus) for the studio:

Melvins/Juxtapoz two poster set by Aesthetic Apparatus and Burlesque of North America, both in Minneapolis.

Love,
Faust Haus

Soapbox Blog #2

2007-03-11T22:53:00.000-07:00

Futures so bright I gotta wear shades:
A very brief history of Neon

From Diners, People and Places by Gerd Kittel

Neon is the 4th most abundant chemical element in the universe, although it only makes up about 0.0018% of the Earth's atmosphere. It is obtained through liquification and distillation of air.

The concept of barometric light was first investigated in 1675 when Jean Picard observed a light inside of a mercury barometer tube caused by static electricity after it was shaken. Using chemicals to create light was further investigated by German glassblower Heinrich Geissler in 1885. Geissler applied low voltages of electricity to glass tubes filled gas which eventually led to invention of vapor lamps. Finally, illumination of neon was discovered in 1902 by French chemist Georges Claude, who encapsulated the gas in glass and applied an electrical charge to create a lovely red glow.

Jellyfish by Eric Ehlenberger

Since its discovery, neon has been used as a way to grab attention and make statements. It's use ranges from a utilitarian form of advertising (coffee shops, diners, bars) to fine art. Artists such as Peter Freeman, Lili Lakich, Pacifico Palumbo have shown their neon art in galleries worldwide.

Here in the City of Angels, we even have a museum dedicated to this gorgeous gas; Museum of Neon Art. Although MONA is closed for relocation, driving around the city (or anywhere for that matter) at night is a great way to take in a huge variety of neon eye candy!

Give Me The Vacation

2007-03-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

Ben Tegel by Brian Romero

Skipped out of work around 9 to catch The Vacation’s set at Safari Sam’s (loved this place, sound was great) last night. Only recognized 2 songs, the rest was new material that had everyone up and moving...a very good sign of albums to come.

My knowledge of The Vacay was previously limited to their debut album, which has a 70’s punk, 80’s rock factor. I was surprised to see that their new tunes embrace the sleazier side of dance rock (trendy trendy!) but who doesn’t like to shake it?!

Soapbox Blog #1

2007-02-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

Here's the first of my weekly design observations for the Soapbox Collective Blog:

Mid-Century Modernism on the Brain

Hollyridge Gem

Walking around Los Angeles it is hard to imagine what the city would look like without the influence of Modernism. Frank Lloyd Wright, Rudolph Schindler, Richard & Dion Neutra, Charles & Ray Eames (among many, many others) redefined the home by designing living spaces that were both natural and architectural. L.A. modernism was shaped by an influx in population post-world war 2. The style spread through the Hollywood Hills , Silverlake, Echo Park & Los Feliz, dotting the rolling landscape with straight planes of concrete, wood and glass. These functional living spaces rejected the old sense of home and replaced it with open-air bohemian living.

In the hills, artful detail is everywhere: teal blue homes flanked by red pointsettia trees, 3 story wonders on stilts jutting into the canyon, millions of plants, trees, flowers. The architectural landscape is inspiring. I think I'll stay a while...

-Leah

P.S. Crave more info?
Check these links:
Useful + Agreeable
Wiki tells you about Mid-Century Modernism

Or these books:
Bohemian Modern
Bohemian Los Angeles

If in LA, you can even take a class:
The Mod Squad

Mmm…album art…

2007-02-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Mondays’ Pills ‘N’ Thrills and Bellyaches; Central Station Design

From: Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album; Chronicle Books

“Matthew Robertson‘s beautiful [book] is a 500-image, 224-page book that looks less at the label’s musical influence…and more at the indelible mark head designer Peter Saville left on the vidual-arts community. Saville and company’s creative style came to define both the post-punk and early rave scenes–minimal and streamlined in its design yet weighty in its impact.” --Ken Taylor, XLR8R Magazine

See more of Peter Saville’s impressive portfolio filled with images, typography and all sorts of graphic design. Learn more about him here. Learn more about Central Station Design and artists/brothers Matt and Pat Carroll.

Rachel Car & Strater Records

2007-02-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

I finally got a chance to shoot Rachel Car's debut CD which I designed for Strater Records, so I thought I'd post that along with one of a close-up of one of the photos Erin took of Rachel (that I painstakingly traced in photoshop). Rachel's site has more photos & short videos and of course her unique electro-pop/new wave sound...take a listen.

Rejects II

2007-01-30T22:11:00.000-08:00

Whew! Faust Haus is really doing some serious damage. We are working on all sorts of new interactive and print projects that are changing how we make graphic design. We're waiting to hear back on a bunch of new designs, so there are bound to be more rejects soon...and we are confident that the rejects to come are some of our best yet!

Return of Fi

2007-01-27T20:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to Fifi- she's been blogging up a storm about her Hartford Art School escapades. This is her last semester, and she's begun posting the process of her thesis (Theories of counterculture and monoculture) and her adventures with partner in crime Maria Doering. Represent MaFia.

Update: It turns out MaFia's Koopman Chair class from last semester has been touring their work with the Migrant Indigenous eXchange. These two are busy- I also just received this flyer for their art auction in the mail:

Year of the Sheep

2007-01-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

Faust Haus goes way back with Antonio Caursone- we even lived together for a brief time back in 2002! Over the years we’ve developed a profound respect for eachother and have recently decided to team up with his studio, Year of the Sheep for a few upcoming projects that will marry both his design & photo skillz with some Faust Haus flava.

You may recall his phenomenal set of photos for Smart Fitzjerrell's debut season, but I doubt you’ve seen these old gems from a project we worked on with Arielle Toelke...

I can’t wait to see what comes of our new endeavors!!!

Surprise it’s the SOV: El Rey

2007-01-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

I rang in my 27th year with dinner and a show thanks to the ever generous Sista Steph and Jody. Lady Sovereign is crazy!!!

Image: Blender Magazine.

The hills are alive, with the sound of music...

2007-01-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

So far Hollywood is excellent. Soon I even hope to have a second to enjoy it. Here are some very good reasons for me to take a break:

Cold War Kids - January 12
The Black Lips - January 26
The Starlite Desperation - Jan 27

More soon, happy new year!!!

Smart Fitzjerrell Fall/Winter ‘07 Preview

2006-12-17T21:25:00.000-08:00

A little taste of Smart Fitjerrell’s new look for F/W 2007. Mary Kathryn and I cranked this puppy out in a matter of days- we are very pleased with the spontaneity, color and ENERGY!

P.S. I'll show some of the full shots of MK's clothes once the line is available!

Cover, back cover

Looks

Holiday flyer

A Rant by Emily Lakin: The Thanksgiving Edition

2006-12-13T23:59:00.000-08:00

It’s my fault this is a Late Edition. -ed

First, two points of contention.
What happened to Thanksgiving? I certainly remember elementary school lessons on Pilgrims and Native Americans, crafting a paper mache cornucopia and celebrating the power of a shared meal to create friendship between strangers (that is, before manifest destiny and smallpox). Yet it seems that now Thanksgiving is no longer a holiday, it just marks 31 days until Christmas. Now I know that Black Friday is the first day of the shopping season, but I was hearing carols on the radio and jingle bells on commercials days before. It's just wrong. Also wrong- how Continental can think a Swiss Cheeseburger, potato salad, and potato chips is a balanced meal? How about instead of dogfood and the 2 servings of starch, you give me that half-ripe fruit salad with one strawberry I used to scoff at?

Anyway, on to the art. If you have never heard of Walter Kitundu I suggest you take some time to check him out. I had the pleasure of seeing him open for and collaborate with Matmos at the Great American Music Hall. Kitundu is a one man machine: photographer, writer, visual and sound artist. I was most impressed by the instruments he has created and the concepts behind them. The stylus glove , for example, looks vaguely like a Tim Burton creation. With a needle on each fingertip, the composer can play four parts of the record at once, creating melodies and chords.

My boredom with the art I've seen lately is because so much is focused on aesthetic instead of meaning. I'm not discounting that work, particularly work in a buy-and-sell driven market, should be attractive to consumers. But often times I think the true art is sacrificed in the face of marketability. Kitundu combines beautiful craftsmanship with musical innovation which is increasingly realized when these projects are put to use to create an amazing soundscape . Realizing that record players can sense vibration even when it is not coming from a record, Kitundu is pushing the limits of "sonic vocabulary" by harnessing the potential of the turntable. By attaching strings to the turntable in the case of the Phonoharp, he can exponentially increase its musical possibilities. Plucked or bowed, the strings resonate through the platter and to the stylus. So imagine… I was watching a man take a sample, use looping pedals to continue the melody, then play on two handmade instruments. The Blues String Phonoharp sounds like a lap steel guitar while the Phonombau uses a small thumb piano attached to the turntable. Weaving each instrument with the records, drumming on the equipment which vibrates through the record player, and changing samples with different albums, Kitundu seamlessly transforms the ideas in his head into pure sound. And if all this isn't jaw-dropping enough, Kitundu has never had formal music training; his work is created through boundless creativity and perseverance.

With residencies in the past few years the Exploritorium in San Francisco and the Gunnar Gunnarssonn Institute in Iceland, Kitundu has further pushed the sound technology he uses by exploring natural elements. The Geologic Sound Casting Project is a combination of geology and community building. By recording local poets, storytellers, and singers, he aims to create 5-foot in diameter record positives that would be filled in by volcanic eruptions. The "sound stones" molded into giant records could then be installed on large acoustic turntables to reveal "historied sounds molded by the earth itself". Other projects like rain activated acoustic turntables propose public installations of turntables activated by paddles harnessing rainwater flowing down the street. Kitundu's use of fire, water, wind and earth promotes self-awareness of the land we occupy. And that, my friends, is what I suggest when I say "meaning".

* Be sure to check out an interview with the artist in the next issue of Alarm Magazine and potential performances with Matmos or Kronos Quartet.

Our new home in the Hollywood Hills

2006-12-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

We’re back for a few weeks before heading out west to move into our new digs in Hollywood. Luck was on our side and Brian and I are now the proud renters of 2 addresses- a top floor 1br apartment for living and a downstairs studio for working!

Without further ado, check it out:

The historic steps climb all the way up into the hills, leading to windy roads, estate homes and lush greenery.

Our new hood: The view of the hollywood sign as you approach our street, Middle pic: Jim Morrison used to drop acid in that Shire!

Thank you, Los Angeles, for being so so awesome. And thanks to B's sister Stephanie for welcoming us into her home as we hunted for our new place. And thanks to Dino, our Landlord, who recognized that we would give loving care to both of our new spaces.

Dear Los Angeles,

2006-12-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

Your weather is pretty much *perfect*. You love rock n’ roll as much as I do. You actually DO have neighborhoods where walking is acceptable! So far your tacos are pretty great.

But...you're killing me!!!

Please help us find a place today so I can properly enjoy you.

Love,
Leah

Rejects!

2006-11-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent comps that have been wished into the cornfield:

BG pattern: Stratocasters, Cakes & Tea
For: Smart Fitzjerrell

Schaff Holiday card (A variation of this lives on!!!)
For: Sostre & Associates

Web comp: Rainforest Action Network
In cahoots with Brian Romero for Trellon.

P.S. I heard a rumor that Emily Lakin will be making her guest blogging comeback in the near future!

A Little Pretty, A Little Gritty…

2006-11-24T18:38:00.000-08:00

We just finished shooting Smart Fitzjerrell’s Fall/Winter 2007 campaign at The Elephant with Brian Romero, Arielle Toelke, Hunter and this season’s foxy starlet, Peri.

Mary Kathryn predicts this Black & Plaid Pleat Dress will rival last season's Plaid Party Dress. I need one!!!

The lookbook, whose theme is Rock n’ Roll Tea Party will be off to print in early December. I’ll be posting designs as soon as they’re rolling- I am really excited about the clothes and am feeling mega inspired by Mary Kathryn’s style and direction…more to come.

Addendum & Dustin Edward Arnold

2006-11-13T18:47:00.000-08:00

Ok! How about naming 3 of the celeb lips? 2? Come on people!!!

Also, I am not sure how I ever mananged to miss out on the portfolio of Dustin Edward Arnold. His work is the definition of luxurious design. Exquisite detail and style. I am humbled...

Douglas Little Company

Levi Strauss Premium

Douglas Little Company

I could post his whole portfolio, so you might as well just follow the link.