Calligraphy: Xandra Y. Zamora [USA]
Gorgeous calligraphy and lettering from Xandra. Visit her blog here or visit her website, http://xyzink.com/, for more.



Jessica Hische for Kate Murphy
Good lord these cards are lovely.
Lettering and design is by Jessica Hische for Kate Murphy, lettepressed (wonderfully) by a friend of Kate’s.



Via designworklife.
Magic
Pardon me for a moment while I marvel at images of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter over in Orlando, Florida. These photos make it look genuinely magical! So much work must have gone into creating this place.
All photos are © Marc Vosburgh on Flickr.



Illustration: Jim Tierney [USA]
Jim Tierney’s work is not going to be ‘news’, but I did still want to post it because I think it’s so amazing — he possesses some formidable talent.
He designed a series of Jules Verne books as his senior thesis while studying Illustration and they are simply spectacular; be sure to watch the video below too, as not only are they beautiful, they are also delightful interactive objects.
His website is http://www.jimtierneyart.com/ and blog http://jimtierney.blogspot.com/


All work, images and video © Jim Tierney
Julian Restaurant, Kansas [USA]
I am loving this very complete and polished identity for Kansas restaurant Julian by Brent Anderson + Nathaniel Cooper + Jordan Michael Gray from Bernstein-Rein. View the whole branding photo set on Flickr (via designworklife)
A brand identity and voice for a new neighborhood restaurant in Kansas City that features refined twists on familiar comfort food from James Beard award-winning chef Celina Tio. The name derives from Tio’s main cooking influences – Julia Child and her grandfather Julian. Design elements took cues from Child’s well-known, well-stocked kitchen.




The Clingstone House
I think I actually just died for a split second when I saw this house.. I would happily suggest you pay particular attention to the fact that in the third picture there truly is a classic picturesque boat sailing past. How can this be real? From freshome:
In 1961, the Boston Architect Henry Wood purchased this amazing island mansion with his wife for only $3,600 on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. Today, the Clingstone House (designed by J.S. Lovering Wharton with artist William Trost Richards) is a warm all-wood home with a 360-degree view of the ocean. Three stories tall, the Clingstone House has a large center hall, ten bedrooms and total of twenty-three rooms total. It would be hard to find a deal like this on today’s market for that little money, despite the fact that the salt and water-wear from the surrounding ocean on the oak beams would make maintenance of this spectacular mansion ridiculously expensive. But hey, you do what you have to do to live in your own version of paradise!

Visual Acoustics looks like a wonderful visual treat full of breathtaking modernist architecture as photographed by Julius Schulman. Can’t wait for this film.
Illustration, Art & Hilarity: David Fullarton [USA]
These artworks are part of David Fullarton’s installation in the offices of a Houston radio station, called What I do when I’m supposed to be working.
The works were placed in amongst other flyers and notices in the office. It is part of the Sisyphus Office project which involves artists who wish
to highlight art as an integral and necessary distraction in our day to day life.
Below are some of those necessary distractions.
All images © David Fullarton. Also see his Behance page, and Skydive gallery.



- words to live by

Typography & Illustration: Jessica Hische [USA]
Jessica Hische’s custom hand-lettering and illustration has been a very big inspiration to me. Letterpress, ornament and typography; where can it go wrong?
Amazingly, Jessica state’s in her site’s FAQ that she mainly works on the computer using her mouse:
I don’t use a wacom tablet (at least not yet), I’m a point and click kind of gal. People are flabbergasted by this but I used to work exclusively on the trackpad on my laptop. I will have carpal tunnel by the time I’m 30.
She also says she mostly goes straight to computer, without sketching and scanning. Keep all of this in mind as you view her stunning work…


Some of Jessica’s hand-drawn type
Jessica works for Louise Fili Ltd., a design firm in New York City that specialises in food packaging and branding for restaurants and delicious things, as well as logos and book design in general. You are probably familiar with the studio’s work.
Design*Sponge published a Sneak Peek into the fabulous studio of Louise Fili Ltd and it looks like a wonderful creative space filled with a gorgeous selection of ephemera collected by Louise on her travels.


Images from Design*Sponge
Jessica on which designers and illustrators motivate her:
So many its hard to say. I have a major design crush on Marion Bantjes and a brain/concept crush on Christoph Niemann (you should reread the illustrated article he did for Print a few years back (2005? 2006?) on being an illustrator). Of course Louise Fili is a major inspiration. I have a really talented group of friends that also keep my motivation high. I see work every day on sites like ffffound, the dieline, etc. that makes me seethe with jealousy. Envy can be a big motivator.
Some more of Jessica’s gorgeous custom lettering and illustration is below. This Boston Globe cover is amazing. Her attention to detail can’t be faulted, I love the ornamental decoration and the way each letter harbours more delights.

A cover from the Boston Globe, May 3. I love the little fella in the ‘E’

More gorgeous custom lettering


All images and quotes are © Jessica Hische
Visit her at http://jessicahische.blogspot.com/
Typography: Anthropologie Catalogue by Hatch Show Print
I had to share Wiley Valentine’s photographs of this wonderful Anthropologie catalogue by Hatch Show Print.
I love overprinting!



