Dan Tobin Smith, Brought to You by the Letter E

Since I've started typography classes I'm noticing letters, type and font more than ever. Photographer Dan Tobin Smith combines some of my long time loves, set design and photography, with my new found obsession.


Pretty sick right? For more check out his website here.

New York Department Store's Holiday Windows 2008

As a former Production Designer and Set Decorator my absolute dream job would be to design store fronts in New York. Every year the biggest retailers outdo themselves with magical, otherworldy, and completely awesome vignettes.

Each store has a unique theme that is always fitting to the brand itself. This year, Barney's celebrates the anniversary of the peace sign with a hippy trippy display right out of the 60's. Sak's Fifth Avenue's display is a snowflake story book adventure, Macy's is a bright and colorful futuristic toy store, and Lord and Taylor's is a nod to traditions in an elaborate Christmas scene. The Bloomingdales scenes look like they were ripped from the 60's ad campaigns from Mad Men, and Bergdorf Goodman is an eerie but elegant winter scene with intricate white details and woodland creatures.

Barney's
Sak's Fifth Avenue (video)
Macy'sLord and TaylorBloomingdalesBergdorf Goodman

Buck Builds Toyota "Through The Roof"

Production/animation company Buck built a model city for the new Toyota Corolla to cruise around...and suck the best amenities in 'Through the Roof.' The visual style of the world isn't trying to look photo real yet at the same time it's not a cartoon - it's almost like a match box car world, you can imagine guiding the Corolla through the streets exploring and creating the story of how it got from point A to point B.



Buck also has a behind the scenes piece on their site, which i love. The production design and miniatures involved in this spot make watching the creative process extra fun...if you like that sort of thing.











You can check out and download the behind the scenes here. It's worth the watch and offers some great insight from Creatives at Saatchi& Saatchi as well.

Gary Panter Chats with VBS.tv about Art, Comics, and Pee- Wee's Playhouse

VBS.tv is featuring a series with Artist/Illustrator/Designer Gary Panter as their newest ART TALK! program.

Only the first 2 segments are now showing but you should check them out. As always it is a very personal and informative interview, at the artists home.

Part 2 includes an inside look at the fly by the seat of your pants set design for Pee-Wee's Playhouse...

Set Design for Anthropologie Home

OK, so this isn't really advertising, but it's a catalog so I'm saying it kinda is. As a former art department girl I am in love with the wrapped sets in the new Anthropologie Home catalog. It's so cute, arts and crafts with sophisticated twist. What I love about Anthropologie is that they are so aware of their own aesthetic and play with it so well in all of their mediums, from the website, to the mailers, to the stores themselves.

Honorary Oscar

I know I posted about this already, but I was lucky enough to present to Robert Boyle when I was production designing a film at the AFI and just feel that he is a living legend. I think his speech was one of the highlights of last nights ceremony, the perspective on the world, the film industry, and the life journey this man has is humbling and inspiring, we're lucky to have heard from him while he is still with us. I mean c'mon he refers to Alfred Hitchcock as Hitch!

It's long but here is a YouTube clip I found of the speech for those of you who missed it.

Hitchcock's Designer to Receive Honorary Oscar

Legendary Production Designer Robert F. Boyle will be receiving an Honorary Oscar at this year's Academy Awards for his lifetime achievement in Art Direction and Production Design.








Boyle has a seemingly endless list of credits, including In Cold Blood, Fiddler on the Roof, and Cape Fear. Most celebrated is his work as Production Designer for Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest and The Birds.

98 year old Boyle is a living legend in his field, nominated for four Academy Awards in his career, and offering his talents to the next generations of Production Designers as a professor at the American Film Institute Conservatory.

To learn more about the art of Hitchcock's films Hitchcock's Notebooks is full of storyboards, sketches and other behind the scenes info.