Brian Paul Nelson – Branding / Design / Illustration">Brian Paul Nelson

This is what I arrived home to today — a beautiful 18×24, limited edition screen print from the nice and talented guys over at Delicious Design League. The amount of work that this duo puts out is insane. Most of their work are screen printed posters and art prints that you can purchase at really affordable prices, however, they also design for other mediums as well. Definitely worth checking out and grabbing a few prints.

Eat…sleep…design. Devotion to the craft. It’s always nice seeing others so dedicated.

It’s been about a week since the last post, but it felt really good stepping away from the computer for awhile. I’ve been off from work too and this break was really relaxing and allowed me to freshen up for the new year. Christmas was awesome once again and I got a gift I’ve been dreaming about this whole past year, which I will post about later this week.

Over the break I listenined to a lot of music that was released throughout the year and the Junior Boys, Begone Dull Care is definitely one of my favorites and felt it was a good post to get back into the groove of things. Below are some of my favorites from the album. Each song has the perfect mix of fresh electonic beats with some pretty sultry lyrics and vocals to compliment. Definitely one for the collection. I just wish their album art matched the music…I would be more than willing and happy to design the next one guys!

Junior Boys — Parallel Lines

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Junior Boys — Hazel

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Junior Boys — The Animator

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Purchase

I love when I come across beautiful info-graphics that successfully bridge the gap between typography, illustration and photography all while keeping the important information at the forefront of the design. One place to always look for awesome info-graphics is Good Magazine, which is where I first saw these a couple months ago, yet I was never able to put a name to the face per say until now. Always With Honor, “a design collective specializing in icon, information and map design run by Tyler Lang and Elsa Chaves,” are the ones who are behind the images above. Their eye for detail is just remarkable and make for a fun and intriguing time overlooking the information. Not to mention, their illustration skills are spot-on. My favorite is definitely “The Hall of Mascots.”

They also have this shirt for sale. Just look at that bear…so totally sweet! Purchase here.

Well 2009 is pretty much over…where in the heck did it go? Anywho, The Boston Globe just finished posting a 3 part series of some imposing photographs that take a look back over the past year entitled, The Big Picture. Above are some of my favorites, especially the first three, but all are a must-see. There are quite a few that really make you feel as if you were actually there witnessing some of the events. To me photography captures an essence that video does not always provide and I caught myself staring at a lot of these for awhile deciphering the different feelings each one gave off. I could stare at that first one all day long, it would make for a pretty sweet picture on a wall if it were blown up.

Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3

Give me anything with a nice woodgrain texture, real or not, and I am sure to love it. Here are a few cool gift ideas just in time for the holidays that revolve around the organic beauty that wood provides. My never-ending wish list continues.

Woodgrain Memo Block

Who doesn’t use sticky notes? If you don’t, you will want to after seeing this. A really cool take on the ordinary, the Woodgrain Memo Block will add some extra style to your desk. It may be a little on the pricey side, but it’s imported from Japan. Purchase at Dijitalfix.

Incase HunterGatherer Protectors

Keep your Macbook Pro and iPhone safe, scratch-free, and in-sync with each other with these cool HunterGatherer protectors provided by the NY studio under the same name. Purchase at Incase.

Tree Stump Side Table

A set of these will definitely end up at my place eventually. Not only could they be used as side tables but also as extra seats. I love how it looks like you could done the work by yourself in your backyard as part of a weekend project. Purchase at West Elm.

Notch Office Chair

I’ve been looking for a new office chair lately and I think I may have found the one. The Notch Office Chair has the sleek modern style that I love, but at a more affordable price than the Herman Miller chairs I drool over. Now all I have to do is find out if it is comfortable enough…fingers crossed. Purchase at Crate & Barrel.

Herman Miller Airia Desk

Seeing how I just mentioned Herman Miller, I’ll post what I’ve had my eye on for awhile now from them. The Airia Desk definitely has the form and function you expect from HM and not to mention the wood frame crafted alongside the off-white top and legs is just so alluring. This is definitely a timeless piece. It would look good in a vintage style house or a completely modern house…or better yet in my office. View at Herman Miller.

Taylor Acoustic Guitar

Quite possibly the best thing made out of wood ever is a guitar. In my opinion Taylor makes some of the best guitars in the world and the 814ce Grand Auditorium Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar is beyond words amazing. I have only played it twice, but I was sold after striking the first note. The sound is unbeatable from any other acoustic-electric guitar I have played. It produces a rich, deep sound with the perfect mix of bass, mids and treble. It truly sounds like you are playing in an auditorium sonically constructed for guitars. One day I will hopefully own this beauty. Purchase at Musician’s Friend.

This past week has been one of the most intense and incredible weeks of my life. Graduation. Portfolio Show. iheartatlas.com. Work. Celebrating with family and friends. Relaxing? Definitely one for the record books.

So school is finally over and graduation went off without a hitch yesterday! It is hard to believe that I will never walk the halls again at UNF, it makes me happy and sad at the same time. Five years of my life have never gone by so fast. The Graphic Design program required a lot of hard work and dedication, but it was / is a great program filled with a variety of classes that creatively push students to new boundaries. My portfolio and website have expanded into something I once dreamed of and now I have it and it’s so surreal. Thank you to all of my teachers and the friends I made while at UNF, it was such a great experience. Big thank you to my family as well, especially my momma.

Back track a week ago to Friday, December 4. A long day of review with my teachers, the first official day of iheartatlas.com and the Senior Portfolio Show that night. There was a great turnout and I met a lot of new people along with seeing some old friends. I had such a fun time showing my work and talking about design as well as other random things that stirred up. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera on hand so the pics above (taken by my mom) are the best I have. I had a nice size table where I had some of my work out, as well as my portfolio book (more on that in a future post) and my laptop showcasing my website. There were also some promotional items such as business cards, flyers and stickers of my logo for everyone to take and give to their friends. It truly was a great night. Seeing everything together on the table all at once after months and months of preparation was an unbelievable feeling. Thanks to everyone who made it out!

School might be over, but Atlas has only begun. Prepare for more work, posts and design goodness to come. Thank you!

Currently spinning Rules by The Whitest Boy Alive. I’ve been listening to it a couple times a week since its March release earlier this year and it has yet to get old, and I don’t think it ever will. Below are some of the tracks that I dig, however, the album as a whole is a solid house/indie/down-tempo mix. I really enjoy the clearness of the instruments and how each can be distinctly heard on top of one another. Great record for a gathering with friends or for an afternoon of browsing the web and getting work down.

The Whitest Boy Alive — Keep A Secret

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Whitest Boy Alive — Intentions

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Whitest Boy Alive — High On The Heels

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Whitest Boy Alive — 1517

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Whitest Boy Alive — Dead End

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Purchase

Prepare to have a good chunk of your time taken up if you are going to look at these because there are many more once you click the link. Eric Carl posted to his flickr what seems to be every page from the mid-70′s edition of the book World of Logotypes, which holds many classics, along with some old gems that are still around today. This stuff is pure awesome and is always a great place to turn to when you are looking for a collection of logos to get you inspired. The book is of course out of print, but if I could find a copy, it would definitely be a part of my library.

View the collection. Thanks Eric.