the mehallo blog. beta.

‘Just be nice to people. Not because you think it will get you into heaven. Just because it’s right.’ -Natasha Newton, Blackbird Sings

This is one of my favorite quotes. It was posted under ‘Religious Views’ on the Facebook page for UK-based visual artist Natasha Newton. And if one could have the title of ‘social networking ambassador,’ it should go this particular blackbird.

myspace came first
I didn’t trust MySpace. I’d heard about the freaks, the stalkers, the time wasted. But it was Natasha’s simple page that said to me, MySpace isn’t as stupid as it seems to be. She was the first one I followed out to Twitter. Because she does it right. [Read more →]

Tags: art, illustration, photography, thoughts, typography by steve
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Marko Davidovic is an artist and graphic designer out of Belgrade. I love the expressive freedom in his art – it just totally syncs with me – in each medium he works, his energy explodes.

He’s always posting something interesting on my MySpace page – ‘just fooling around,’ is his MySpace approach. His work, however – calligraphic, canvas, photographic, illustrative, digital – is something else.

He goes under the tag of d++. Find him on MySpace here.
 

Tags: art, cool finds, design, illustration, photography, typography by steve
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This is dedicated to my students, who’ve been working their asses off all weekend.

A few hours ago, I saw the online complaints about Kinko’s now legendary horrible customer service (was it always like this, or just after the FedEx buyout?). Typography 4 final crit is at 9 a.m. today.

Found via Utrecht Sacramento on Facebook

Tags: cool finds, flom, illustration by steve
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Paperbag Parachute by Lois van Baarle; print available here
Follow the Paperbag Parachute blog here
 

From a conversation on Facebook  . . .

Laura Hohlwein:
you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

Chris Demas:
Wait no, im pretty sure you are the only one.

Laura Hohlwein:
ha. yeah. could be.

Steve Mehallo:
Nope. There’s more of us. And if you think we’re freaks, you’re right. But we know how to change the world. We invented the ipod, aerosol cheese, disco and the escalator. See if you can do that you non-dreamers you!
 

Escalator, Osaka City, Japan; details here

Tags: art, cool finds, illustration, thoughts by steve
1 comment  . . .   

When it comes to design, UK-based Penguin Books produces some beautiful specimens. And here’s a write up by Ace Jet 170 on the Penguin Collectors Society and their wonderful Penguin by Illustrators monograph.

Tags: art, cool finds, design, design history, illustration, publication design by steve
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Audrey Kawasaki is an illustrator working out of Los Angeles. Her work channels the soft feminine forms of Mucha mixed with a manga sensibility. Sort of. In this, she takes these influences and makes them all her own. Any references are just that: references.

What really caught me are her notebooks – experimental, playful and erotic. Found in the doodles section of her site, her work plays with cartoonish human forms, ornament, typography and graphic layout. Dazzling.

Visit Audrey’s site here. Her online journal is here. And Twitter  . . . here.

Found via Twitter.com/blackbirdsings

Tags: art, cool finds, illustration, thoughts by steve
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Poster for Itaú Cultura’s 2008 video festival ‘Conflicts’ by São Paulo-based illustrator Kako. Visit Kako’s website here.

Found via the 2009 Communication Arts Illustration Annual

Tags: art, cool finds, illustration by steve
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The work of Hubert Blanz.

Tags: cool finds, design, illustration, photography by steve
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Pictorial Webster’s: Inspiration to Completion from John Carrera on Vimeo

‘as a source for creativity in the human brain’
Yesterday, I thumbed thru Chronicle Books’ trade edition of Johnny Carrera’s Pictorial Webster’s: A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities. The video (above) details the inspiration for the project, historical cataloging, Linotype setting, as well as the design and hand binding of the fine press editions.

More detailed details are posted here. Also, check out the very Victorian Wall Cards and Stamp Set.

Carrera is the proprietor of Quercus Press, based in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Tags: cool finds, design, education, illustration, publication design by steve
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Sketch-3D drawing tool by o2 Creative Solutions

Found via Core77

Tags: art, cool finds, illustration by steve
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My client, Normandie, is currently touring the known United States.

The band is a side project thunk up by 3 members of theSTART; as a result, the shows become a twofer (two bands in one).

In tow they have a bunch of my tour posters (seen above) as well as some special handmade START cds doodled by the band itself (see below).

Follow their advance across the continent by jumping over to vocalist Aimee Echo’s Twitter page. As of this writing, they seem to be somewhere in the original 13 colonies  . . .  And may have been replaced by pirates.

Tour dates for both bands can be found on their MySpace pages here and here.

Tags: cool finds, illustration, mehallo merchandise, music by steve
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