The Best Design of 2008!

I know here at IP we have been slow to add new entries to the blog this month, so hopefully the next few instalments will make up for it! This is the first entry of "The Best Design of 2008!” This will be a collection of the best of the best, from artwork, to print, to album covers - if it's great it should be here!

The list is in no particular order...

Best Book Cover...

Designed by Isaac Tobin & Lauren Nassef.

We'll let the work speak for itself! This work is probably one of my personnel favourite book covers of all time. Clean. Simple. Sophisticated. Here are a few words from the creators of the cover...

Tobin:

Most of the credit for this cover should really go to Lauren, my wife and frequent collaborator. When I was assigned this project I knew it had enormous potential. Because the book discusses many ways of thinking about obsession, I wanted to avoid anything too specific (i.e. a stock photo of hand-washing), and thought it would great if I could make the design a result of obsession rather than a depiction of it. My first attempts were made on the computer, but just didn't work — the computer made the repetition meaningless. Lauren and I always discuss ideas for our projects, and we realized that the cover needed to be made by hand. We realized a pinprick drawing technique she had used before could work for this book.

I then designed the cover as if it were type-only and black and white, trying to get the title as big as possible so that the pattern would be clear and the title would still be readable. I gave Lauren a printout of the title type, which she traced with pinpricks. That took a very long time. We then photographed the results, and adjusted the design — I think the pin as a dividing slash (which makes everything come together) was Lauren's idea. Luckily the design was approved, although the author was disappointed that we couldn't afford to actually punch holes in every jacket.

Nassef:

Isaac decided to collaborate with me on this cover after we talked for about two weeks about potential directions for the design. We're married and so are always talking about his books at home.

We knew that the design itself should be obsessive and, thinking of this, I remembered some drawings I made in college using pinpricks. Since they were the most obsessive things I'd ever done, I suggested using the technique for the title.

Isaac chose his custom typeface Attleboro Gothic for the letterforms and then I punched them out of heavy white card. Once we scanned it in and Isaac laid it out, it was clear that the pin needed to be there to emphasize the act of making the letters.

Best Album Cover...
Gnarls Barkley second album, The Odd Couple, has been chosen because of it's great non-conformist approach not only to it's music, but to the cover art. The album’s cover reflects their unique urban awareness set with undertones of refreshing electronica and dynamic Brit-pop flavours that is embedded in their music.


Best Flash Website...
I do love a well-constructed beautiful flash website. Get The Glass is a fantastic example of one! The best this year I think. Not only because of it's ease of use, but because the graphics are outstanding, with captivating animation and a very slick cool approach.
Get The Glass is the work of the California Milk Processor Board and was designed to encourage increased milk consumption by inviting visitors to participate in a comically entertaining Flash based game whose objective is to Get the Glass - of milk of course!
Do check out there regular site GotMilk.com it is another great flash website, with outstanding graphics.


Best Free Font...

designed by Andrew Paglinawan

We really wanted to add something for free, and with a world of horrid free fonts we found something of quality that just sparkles with beauty. We found this font at booooooom.com where they also voted this No.1. You can download it here.


Best Print Ad...

click image to enlarge
(we added the tagline in large to make it easily readable)

Advertising Agency:
Young & Rubicam, Buenos Aires

Creative Director:
Juan Frontini

Art Director:
Alejandro Sibilla

Production Manager:
Horacio Marquez

Copywriter:
Rodrigo Ruiz

Illustrator:
Daniel Romanos

Other:
Executive Creative Director: Guillermo Vega.

Well thats the end of Part One; enjoy the last day of 2008!

Keep Creative,

James