Free Akai MPC 2000 wallpaper from Markus Designs. Interior digital design for beat heads (comes ready made for made Smart phone, iPad etc etc.

Filed under: Graphic Design by J.G.
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Kevin Munoz’s type-led Flying Lotus limited edition screenprint is a super nice piece of design. Printed using metalic ink on black paper, it is in the Cali native’s own words, “super nerdy and way blingy.” Coming in at a mere $20 it’s as kind on your wallet as it would be to your wall.

Munoz has worked for the likes of Paul Frank and Converse and counts joker Jack Black as a fan of his Juan t-shirt. Check his artwork which has that relaxed, idiosyncratic vibe that is peculiar to Californian visual culture. His blog and bio also raise a smile.

Filed under: Artists, Graphic Design by J.G.
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Really enjoyed exploring the Project Thirty-Three blog produced by Jive Time Records, a Seattle-based store specializing in used vinyl.

Project Thirty-Three is an archive of vintage album covers that share the fact that they convey their message with simple shapes (circle, rectangles, squares and triangles), bold typography and concise copy. A site that showcases a genuine love for music and a treasure trove of inspiration. Well worth a look.

Filed under: Graphic Design, Record Cover Design, Soul, Uncategorized by J.G.
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Woahhhh have Lex really been delivering the goods for 10 years?! Apparently so, and to mark this momentous occasion for a UK record label that has few contemporary peers – few other labels have consistently dropped new markers in the field that is designated ‘left of field’ in the world of hip-hop –  are releasing 10. 10 is an compilation of 10 exclusive tracks by the likes of Jneiro Jarel, DOOM, Thom York, Neon Neon, Boom Bip, Dosone and Fog. Tracks are currently being released in digital sizzle format on a weekly basis, before they are compiled into a must have picture disc released in January 2012.

Also worth visiting to pick up a last minute Christmas present or two is the new Lex Store. The store is a great place to spend five minutes digging through. One of the main reasons is it gives you the chance to peruse a lot of the design work crafted by Ehquestionmark? which has the rare effect of making you want to buy the vinyl even if you haven’t heard the music – how nice is that cover for Boom Bip’s Zig Zaj LP? Also lurking is a great limited edition pack that features two screen-prints by illustrator Yu Sato, one commemorating DOOM & Ghostface Killah’s show at The Roundhouse, London, and Lex Records 10th Anniversary poster.

Filed under: Graphic Design, UK hip-hop by J.G.
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BLU – DOINNOTHIN’ FT. UGOD (PRODUCED BY FLYING LOTUS) from david m. helman on Vimeo.

Blu’s Doinnothin‘ is already a hypnotic beast of a track but David M. Helman and RUFFMERCY, with their graphic freshness (think Blue Note for the beat generation), have only gone and made the track even more of a cranium wrecker. Like a nekkid Alexa Chung rocking just a pair of Nike Vandals, this is some freaky sheeet!

Filed under: Dub-step, Graphic Design, Video by J.G.
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Ben Drury, legendary go-to man for anyone wanting street influenced graphic design that drips with innovation and freshness, has broken cover from his esoteric and sometime plain unfathomable The Silent Listener (or the Violent Whistler as it is now called) website and launched a more commercially minded space to showcase his far reaching and influential talents.

The new site show’s off everything from his record covers, promo direction and love of handcrafted typography. An inspiring insight into the work of a man best summed up as a ‘designers designer’.

Filed under: Artists, Graphic Design, UK hip-hop by J.G.
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Successful club nights often result in aspirations for bigger and better things. Many try, few succeed. One notable success story is Glasgow-based label LuckyMe, whose evolution from club night to label to artist collective has been glowingly acknowledged as representing ‘the true spirit of independent thinking’, and has been selected for the prestigious Beck’s Green Box Project. …Read More.

Filed under: Art Galleries, Artists, Graphic Design by Lev
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Rinse Presents: A Visual Retrospective – The Work Of Shaun Bloodworth & Give Up Art celebrates the visual identity of the seminal London-based radio station and label, Rinse.

In many ways the exhibition is a documentation of the growth of the label and its modus operandi to positively promote and encourage underground music. Like other influential labels such as Factory, Mo’Wax, Lex, Ninja Tune and Big Dada, Rinse has also sought to cultivate a visual style that embodies what the music is all about. For Saville, Drury, Ehquestionmark! and Oscar and Ewan (check out back issues of Bonafide magazine for features on these design heroes) read London design agency Give Up Art and photographer Shaun Bloodworth. Give Up Art and Bloodworth have built a long standing relationship with the label to develop an aesthetic that screams Rinse.

The exhibition will be at the Truman Brewery Gallery, 12-22 August 2011.

Filed under: Graphic Design, UK hip-hop by J.G.
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In what now seems to be a staple event at the annual Notting Hill Carnival, Red Bull have once again joined forces with Major Lazer for the Carnival Party that takes place, as ever, under the westway on Monday 29th August. Diplo and Switch will once again bring a host of guests a collaborators along for the party, with surprise appearances in previous years from the likes of MIA, Santigold and Lee Scratch Perry. …Read More.

Filed under: Artists, Festivals, Graphic Design by Lev
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Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album
Thames and Hudson

The beauty of Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album is that this well conceived publication not only comprehensively documents one most influential record labels to come out of UK, it also doubles up as a valuable resource for creatives too.

…Read More.

Filed under: Book Reviews, Graphic Design by J.G.
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