Super Bowl Update

As a personal project, Creative Director and Designer Ty Mattson set out to create a series of designs to celebrate the award-winning show, Showtime's HOMELAND, after watching the compelling finale of season two.



A self-admitted fanatical fan, he played off of the subtle theme of jazz that appears in the television drama's storyline and designed 12 vintage record covers inspired by the TV series. And he did a fabulous job- see for yourself:














A special thanks to my friend Tula Jeng of WHORANGE for bringing this to my attention!

In March of this year, the Cimino-Hurt brothers decided to launch A Case Of Bass, combining two greats: vintage electronics and vintage luggage, to make super sweet boomboxes. While not the first to do this (I blogged about a similar company named BoomCases years ago), these are significantly more affordable.


above: The Cimino-Hurt brothers combine 'tude and talent

The Portland-based company, A Case of Bass, creates portable sound systems hand-built to ensure quality and craftsmanship. Each "Case of Bass" is created after scouring the world for the finest unique vintage suitcases (train cases, brief cases and make-up cases, too) and then pairing them with a selection of speakers that guarantee the best combination of sound and aesthetic.

The Burlap Banger:

The Champ:

The Starflight:

Bunny:

Nicky29:


The cases incorporate - to your specifications - the types of accessories that will make your case unique to you. These include input types, amplifier sizes, power supplies and batteries, and finally any personal detailing you might desire.

Cecille:

Sam:

Marcelle:


In partnership with local Portland businesses, artists, and craftsmen they create these one of a kind portable parties.

Up-cycled and Sustainable
Sustainability, for those at A Case of Bass, means taking materials and designs, into which great amounts of energy have already been committed, and re-purposing them to extend that investment. It’s not recycling, where objects are stripped into the basic materials and then smelted back into something else. It’s up-cycling, where things are given new life and expected to be passed on or designed to be completely usable for something else without the need of deteriorating initial energy investment.

Staxx:

Candy:

Scooter:


Because the brothers want to give universal access, they do things like sell their products at an affordable price and make an eighth inch input standard on all of the cases. They use some new electronics, but only when they can’t find a reliable substitute from their rescued electronics. When providing things that have great environmental and economic impact implicit in their construction, like batteries, they strive for low impact, long life, and of course, rechargeable systems. At present they offer lithium ion rechargeable packs that are lightweight, high capacity, and high efficiency.

Midas:

Ruby the Riveter:


Finally, to demonstrate the overall sustainability of each case, they give a percent by mass of up-cycled material for each case. This is a process and they don’t profess to have all the answers but are working to continuously improve the quality of each case as an environmentally and socially responsible piece of electronics.

A Case of Bass
Online store
Local Portland retailers:
Hellion Gallery
Tender Loving Empire
Hollywood Babylon

Based on the style of a vintage LA street map, this new Film Map from the hipsters at Dorothy is made up entirely from film titles.



The street map has over 900 film titles including cinema classics such as Lost Highway, On the Waterfront, Jurassic Park, Reservoir Dogs, Carlito's Way, Nightmare on Elm Street, Valley of the Dolls and Chinatown.



The Movie Map, which is loosely based on the style of a vintage Los Angeles street map has its own Hollywood Boulevard and includes districts dedicated to Hitchcock and Cult British Horror movies. Like most cities it also has its own Red Light area. There's an A-Z key at the base of the Map listing all the films featured with their release dates and names of the directors.



A 4-color litho print on uncoated art paper
Dimensions: H60 x W80cm

Available as a signed and stamped Limited Edition print and an Open Edition print (£25).

The Limited Edition signed and stamped Litho Prints are printed on a premium stock (Keaykolour Particles) and cost £100 each. The print run is limited to only 250 copies.

Shop for them here.

above: a vintage Litho from the Colorcraft Poster Co. in Oklahoma City

I scoured the web, online fireworks museums, vintage poster shops and more to find 30 of the most beautifully designed graphic and illustrated fireworks labels, posters and packaging from the 20th century. You'll notice that the colors, typography and composition has made a comeback in much of today's design. I hope the following finds brighten up your Fourth of July.

Labels and Posters from James Pain and Sons, Ltd. (England):












Posters from Standard (England):








Brochure cover and packaging from Brock's (England):




Labels from Macau and China:





And lastly, some Vintage Travel Posters that feature fireworks:




The images in this post come from the following sources:
http://fireworkslistings.ca/links.html
http://www.toyzine.com/magazine/articles/fireworks.htm
http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/eclipse/oldie.htm
http://www.crackerpacks.com/
http://www.fireworkmuseum.co.uk/
http://www.samuelowengallery.com


Don't miss these awesome artful interpretations of the American Flag!


Happy Fourth of July!