designtoandfro.com » Web Wanderings

Please Enjoy…

Mihae Mukaida — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:33:25 +0000

Surprisingly, I’d known about Ji Lee’s work long before I ever knew about anything about him. In fact, you probably do too. If not walking the streets of Manhattan then perhaps perusing blogs online. His work has that quality that catches attention without screaming at you. I literally went through every page of his website, I don’t think I’ve ever done that. To be quite honest, that fact alone is inspirational. His work is playful but sophisticated, smart but accessible-he excites curiosity, not to mention the man seems to have the right balance between life and work…anyway, in his own words, “please enjoy.”

Look at me, you know what you see, you see a bad mutha…

Mihae Mukaida — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:55:02 +0000

I’d come across Jef Aerosol on the Wooster Collective blog, at first scan I had actually thought it was Bansky..in any case, it prompted me to dive a little deeper. Turns out he had his New York City debut at the Adhoc gallery in Brooklyn just this past week, the show which opened on January 29th will go through till February 21.

While I would have to say his work lacks the serendipitous/deliberate combination and context that is so marked in Bansky’s work, he’s equally skilled in the art of the stencil. The Brooklyn Street Art site actually shows the steps of each stencil for his latest portrait, a tribute to the Empire State, featuring Jay-Z and a testament to the man’s painstaking skills.

As an aside, what’s the deal with Carlito Brigante aka Charles le Brigand for the Godfather of Soul?

Keep Calm and Carry On

Mihae Mukaida — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:18:11 +0000

Though the now recognized british poster found huge popularity during the Christmas of 2005, it was originally produced in 1939 for the Ministry of Information and was only to be distributed should the Nazis succeed in an invasion of Great Britain. The third in a series of three it was designed as a motivational poster for the British Government.

Printed and stored, the poster didn’t see the full light of day until the year 2000, when a copy was discovered by a bookseller Stuart Manley and gained popularity shortly after it was featured as a newspaper supplement Christmas gift idea.

Below is the original image along with a parody found on ffffound. While the typography is clearly off the mark, the British stiff upper lip sentiment surely gets turned on its head.